Ministry of Commerce And Supplies - Enhanced Integrated ...

N T I S2010Nepal Business ForumOn May 16, 2010, the Cabinet approved the creation of the NBF--a new public-private dialogue mechanismaimed at analysing and finding concrete solutions to business environment problems in Nepal. The NBF waslaunched formally on May 26, 2010. The Forum has six working groups, including a working group on tradepromotion.The business community will need to review how best to pull the efforts of the recently created ‘exportdevelopment forum’ --a joint initiative of the MoCS and the FNCCI--under the umbrella of the NBF andits working group on trade promotion to avoid unnecessary duplication. And more broadly, as suggestedpreviously, there will be a need to find an appropriate balance between the work of the NBF working groupsand the NTIS technical committees.Donor FacilitatorExperience from other LDCs that have taken steps to implement the EIF structures and a Trade SWAp suggeststhat the DF has a critical role to play in ensuring proper coordination among DPs and between DPs and theGovernment. In recent years, UNDP-Nepal has been serving as a DF. Going forward, the GoN and DPs will alsoneed to review this particular arrangement.12.4 Capacity Constraints of the National ImplementationArrangementsLack of strong ownership, weak inter-ministerial coordination, lack of GoN-DP coordination, weak technicalresources are some of the factors that have contributed to uneven implementation of the NTIS 2004.The NTIS 2010 NIA structure that is taking shape has the potential to remedy many of those past limitationsprovided the present capacity needs of the various building blocks are recognized and addressed. The EIF Tier1 project secured by the GoN will go some distance in addressing some of those needs, though experiencesfrom other countries also suggest that DPs will need to bring additional support to fulfill all needs.NSC ConstraintsIn theory, the NSC is a formidable tool to push forward the trade development agenda, take stock of thepresent situation, monitor progress and implementation of the NTIS recommendations, and bring a higherlevel of public debate about the role and importance of trade in inclusive development.However, it is important to recognize that the role of trade as an engine of inclusive growth and povertyreduction is not fully understood or internalized at senior policy level. So, there is still a lot of awarenessraisingwork to be done to put the NSC in a stronger position to provide leadership to this issue.The participatory and inclusive approach used by the GoN and DPs in the preparation of NTIS 2010, the interestshown by the GoN to coordinate the findings of NTIS 2010 with some of the issues to be highlighted in the newThree-Year Plan being prepared by the NPC, the creation of a Working Group on Trade Promotion under theNBF are all positive signs that trade development is being elevated within the GoN’s policy agenda. But morework will need to be done to confirm that the issue is being strongly anchored within that agenda.244NEPAL TRADE INTEGRATION STRATEGY 2010BACKGROUND REPORT