Nepal Status Paper: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 (Rio+20) synopsis is a process-driven document and an outcome of discussions and deliberations among civil society, government and non-government stakeholders, parliamentarians and local communities. The findings suggest that Nepal has made significant progress on the policy, legislation and institutional aspects of sustainable development but has remained weak in implementation. There also have been positive achievements in implementing programs related to natural resources management, renewable energy, health and education, and poverty reduction. Nepal has comparative advantage in developing sustainable agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, nontimber forest products, community forestry and biodiversity conservation. It has also launched a global initiative to advocate for attention to the perilous situation in the mountains. Nepal needs additional international support in financing, technology transfer and capacity building, and special support for improving terms of trade and for assisting it to bolster its competitive advantage in agricultural product marketing.
On the green economy theme, Nepal shares the voice of developing countries that it should offer new trade opportunities to all countries, and not become a pretext for “green protectionism”. The green economy should be used to promote and enhance capacity in the least Developed Countries (LDCs) without constraining the policy space to pursue their national development agendas. This would require high priority on substantial transfer of new appropriate technologies to LDCs with strong institutional support, primarily contributing to a “just transition” and productivity enhancement, for leading Nepal towards a low carbon but high and equitable economic growth path. Further, there is a critical need to fulfil all previous commitments of developed countries, particularly the ODA commitment of allocating 0.15-0.20 per cent of their Gross National Income (GNI) as development aid.