Administrator Samantha Power at the U.S.-Nepal Democratic Partnership Event

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Thank you, Shivanee. And thanks to all of you. I know we're really excited to get into the panel discussion, so we will get there. But I want to thank our incredible moderator – not only for being here tonight and loaning her time and energy and passion for Nepal's development – but also for the work, Shivanee, that you have done to support young journalists and press freedom here in this country. Thanks to Foreign Minister Paudyal for those remarks, really also for the incredible development work that you have done over so many years, a perspective that you now bring as just the third female foreign minister of this country. And thank you as well for the productive conversation that we had earlier about how the United States generally, and USAID specifically, can support this effort to spur additional job creation, economic growth, and ongoing development across the sectors in which USAID has worked for a very long time.

I want to thank our ambassador, Ambassador Thompson, also who's here – who we couldn't have a better leader from the United States to be here at such a pivotal time for Nepal and for the Nepalis people. Thank you in advance to my fellow panelists, Mohna Ansari, who has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of the rights of women and children as a journalist, as a trail blazing lawyer, and as a public servant. Melisha Ghimrie, who has helped break down the barriers keeping women and girls out of technology, barriers that exist in every country around the world, and such an important task. And Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan, who as you all know, was just reelected after bringing the tremendous benefits of inclusive governance to the people of Lalitpur – from infrastructure improvements to e-governance.

And I was saying, I was telling the mayor as we were walking in that he is famous for these achievements. And like any good leader, he immediately pointed to a member of his staff and he said about the staff member, I think one of his deputies and his aides – in fact sitting right here – he said, he's the one who made me famous. So, that's a good model of leadership.

I also have to give you a special thanks, Mr. Mayor, for representing men on this panel. So, thank you. We had to look near and far to find a man to join the panel, but we were very pleased to bring you on board.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to address you. And again, I'll try to be very brief because we want to get into the discussion. So many changemakers in the audience who are working to build an inclusive, prosperous, and democratic Nepal. Nepal has demonstrated a remarkable commitment over many years to democracy. In your most recent election, hundreds of thousands of poll workers, ordinary citizens mobilizing to make voting safer for women and historically marginalized populations. You successfully ran free and fair elections for more than 30,000 seats across local and national governments. So today is a moment of extraordinary opportunity for the prospect of a more – even more – democratic and prosperous future for Nepal. A future where parents can reliably feed their kids and send them to good schools, where women feel safe and respected in their homes and in the workplaces, where no young person has to choose between earning a decent wage and leaving their beloved home country. That is a choice too many Nepalis still find themselves having to make. A country where every voice, every voice is heard.

Much of this vision is articulated in your new government's 21-point Common Minimum plan. But I know that that vision in turn has been shaped over many years by activists, young people and local leaders, leaders like the two recently named International Women of Courage. Winners we have here with us today. Bhumika Shrestha, who is fighting for a future in which a person's gender identity does not exclude them from citizenship. And Muskan Khatun, who after surviving an acid attack at the age of 15, successfully convinced Prime Minister KP Oli to call for new laws prohibiting acid attacks and regulating the chemicals often used in these attacks. Energy advocacy and ideas like yours will be crucial not only to advancing democracy, but building a democracy that delivers, a democracy that extends opportunity, security, and fundamentally – individual dignity to all people.

And the United States is committed to supporting you and partnering with you in this effort, as we have been for now, just a little over 75 years. The United States was the first country to establish an economic assistance partnership with Nepal. We funded Nepali driven efforts that cut infant mortality in half, nearly doubled the amount of cultivated farmland in this country, and controlled the spread of malaria. As we look ahead to the next 75 years of friendship between our two countries, the United States is redoubling our commitment to partnering with local Nepali organizations and government officials doing incredible work to advance democracy.

So, today I'm announcing a $60 million investment that will function in many ways as seed funding for your efforts and advance across three priority areas your vision for an inclusive Nepal. First, for democracies to thrive, we all know they need to invest meaningfully and equitably in all their people. So roughly a third of this $60 million investment will help strengthen public financial management. We will help local governments effectively and transparently fund public services that lift up poor and historically marginalized communities. We will support efforts to engage women in budget decisions that directly impact them, but from which they are too often excluded. And we will partner with academies to train those with little experience in budget processes so that they can hold their governments accountable for meeting the needs of all people.

Second, because a democracy thrives when its citizens can freely participate and work to improve it, we are committing another nearly $19 million to support civil society and independent media organizations. We will expand our partnerships with independent journalists and media outlets to improve public access to credible information and to build trust in the media. We all know that disinformation, misinformation is flying wild in your country and back in my country. We will connect activists and organizations, especially women and young people like some of you, to financial resources, technical assistance, and avenues through which you can publicize your work. And we will support emerging civil society organizations and young journalists through small grants and through the provision of collaborative spaces.

And finally, because a democracy is only as strong as the rights it affords its citizens, we will commit the remaining $20 million to preserving the fundamental rights of Nepal's most historically marginalized populations. We will support Nepal's efforts to strengthen legal protections for survivors of forced labor and sexual trafficking, prosecute the perpetrators, and work to reduce the financial instability that puts these populations at risk. We will help expand the government's capacity to collect demographic data on hard to count populations, as LGBTIQ+ advocates successfully lobbied for. And we will help young people, women and traditionally disenfranchised ethnic groups, castes, and religions – help them to more easily participate in the political process as voters, as candidates, and as political advocates.

Today, you have a government that has been elected to take the next step on Nepal's democratic journey. But to succeed, it will take all Nepalis working together, supporting your communities, building businesses and civic organizations, creating opportunities for young women and men, defending fundamental rights, and fiercely advocating for progress and also accountability to the commitments that have been made. The United States stands firmly behind you as you work to seize this moment of immense potential. And I look forward to hearing first from the panelists and then from you about the ways we can further support your efforts. Thank you so much.