Kathmandu, July 10

The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme yesterday launched the Enhancing Access to Justice through Institutional Reform (2018-2020) project aimed at enhancing access to justice of women, poor and vulnerable groups in Nepal.

To be implemented through the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs jointly with the Office of the Attorney General and Nepal Bar Association, the $4.6million project is funded by the Norwegian Government and UNDP, according to a joint statement issued today.

Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal Lasse Bjørn Johannessen and UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer signed the agreement at the ministry yesterday. The Norwegian government will contribute $3.6 million and UNDP $1 million to the project. The three-year project aims to enhance people’s access to justice by helping the ministry make reforms in the legal aid regime in Nepal. The project will also support effective implementation of the integrated legal aid policy currently being finalised by the ministry. The policy aims to provide free legal aid services to the poor and vulnerable people across the country.

In order to promote participation of women and vulnerable groups in the justice system, the project will provide scholarships, internships and other professional opportunities to law students coming from these groups. The project will explore opportunities to support effective delivery of justice for inclusive economic development through tailored trainings to stakeholders.

“We are pleased to sign this new agreement and are grateful for the generosity of Norway which enables UNDP to continue working under the leadership of the MoLJPA to improve the rule of law and access to justice, particularly for the poor and most vulnerable population of Nepal,” said Renaud Meyer, country director, UNDP Nepal.