NEPAL’S INTERGOVERNMENTAL COLLABORATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

As one of the newest federal countries, Nepal’s intergovernmental collaboration in dealing with the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020/21) needs special attention. In the absence of clarity in the roles of federal, provincial, and local governments in the management of such an unanticipated public health crisis, it appeared in the first few months of the pandemic that each level of government functioned rather inwardly. Consequently, preliminary efforts of providing shelter and food to save lives remained ineffective. In response to this remarkably failed circumstance, the government of Nepal introduced new collaborative measures that leveraged engagement of federal, provincial, and local governments in harmoniously providing medical help and other daily needs to citizens. This conference paper examines these measures to understand the degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic generated needs to strengthen intergovernmental collaboration in Nepal.