The World Bank Group has launched the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nepal 2025–2031, setting the tone for a strategic collaboration over the next six years. The framework was formally introduced on Friday during an event held in Kathmandu.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel emphasized that the CPF aligns with Nepal’s 16th Periodic Plan and lays out a comprehensive roadmap focused on good governance, inclusive development, and economic transformation. He stressed the CPF’s focus on two critical challenges—creating employment and enhancing disaster resilience—while aiming to uplift the living standards of vulnerable groups.
The framework highlights key national priorities such as inclusive economic growth, productive employment, improved competitiveness, sustainable social protection, and climate resilience. According to Minister Paudel, investments in infrastructure and digital expansion under the CPF will spur growth, enhance service delivery, and empower citizens through greater economic and social participation.
He also underscored the importance of disaster preparedness and resource sustainability, given Nepal’s high vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards. Moreover, the CPF’s emphasis on strengthening public institutions, accountability, and governance was cited as essential to translating development aspirations into results. Paudel reaffirmed Nepal’s commitment to reforming public financial management, procurement systems, and environmental safeguards in partnership with the World Bank Group.
World Bank Group Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg stated that the CPF prioritizes domestic job creation, economic growth, and enhanced climate resilience. He affirmed that the CPF is fully aligned with Nepal’s 16th Periodic Plan and is structured to support long-term goals such as ending extreme poverty and building sustainable infrastructure.
World Bank Country Director for Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, David Sislen, highlighted that the framework addresses persistent challenges like informal unemployment and overreliance on remittances, which account for 25% of Nepal’s GDP. He noted the CPF’s support for strengthening domestic production, improving infrastructure, and fostering tourism-driven private sector growth.
Imad Fakhoury, Regional Director for South Asia at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), emphasized private sector development as key to Nepal’s growth trajectory. He called for a more business-friendly environment and the strengthening of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to unlock broader economic opportunities.
The CPF marks a renewed commitment by the World Bank Group to support Nepal’s transition toward a more inclusive, resilient, and competitive economy through focused, long-term development assistance.
