Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Nepal, lying between two big economies-India and China, is ranked one of the economically poorest countries in the world with low per capital income and poor trade outcomes with high trade deficits. This underlines the importance of addressing economy’s vulnerability of Nepal by enhancing the country’s trade competitiveness. To take advantage of the opportunity to transform Nepal from a landlocked to a land linked country that links to regional and global trade, Nepal would need to address its high transport costs, attributable to its poor transport infrastructure and cumbersome trade-related policies, systems and procedures. Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF)