Title: Government, Gen Z leaders sign pending blueprint for reforms
After a months-long exercise, the government and Gen Z leaders signed an accord on Wednesday to give legitimacy to the September youth uprising that ousted the government of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. The Kathmandu Post
Government, Gen Z representatives ink 10-point agreement
Kathmandu, Dec 10: The government and Gen Z representatives late this evening signed a 10-point agreement at the Office of the Prime Minister, Singha Durbar. Prime Minister Sushila Karki and Bhoj Bikram Thapa, on behalf of those who attained martyrdom and were injured during the Gen Z movement, signed the pact. The Rising Nepal
Prime Minister Sushila Karki, on behalf of the interim government formed after the Gen Z movement, signed the agreement while Bhoj Bikram Thapa, a Gen Z martyr’s family representative, also inked the 10-point agreement. Yet a section of Gen Z activists protested the agreement at the Prime Minister’s Office after the signing ceremony. They rejected the agreement arguing it does not capture the spirit and sentiment of the Gen Z movement. Ajay Soraadi of ‘Gen Z Movement Nepal’ tore up the agreement after the event where Prime Minister Karki, several ministers, Gen Z leaders and senior officials were present. Another Gen Z leader, Miraj Dhungana, also disowned the government-Gen Z agreement later on Wednesday evening. The Kathmandu Post
The broader agreement emphasised the formation of a commission to recommend changes in the constitution, reforms in the electoral system as well as in the judiciary and public administration, justice for the victims of the Gen Z movement, and issue of corruption control, among others. The agreement recognises the September Gen Z movement as a “Jana andolan”. Two people’s movements, of 1990 and 2006, are known as the first and second “jana andolan”. For the first time in Nepal, digital-led movements and cultural, social, and technology-based resistance have been recognised as legitimate forms of civic expression. The Kathmandu Post
The pact incorporates provisions on issues of good governance, constitutional amendment, and the electoral system, in line with the spirit of the Gen Z movement held on September 8-9. Government ministers, the chief secretary, and senior government officials were present on the occasion. (RSS) The Rising Nepal
Agreement: reparations, commissions and investigations
The agreement states that the nature of the current interim government is non-partisan, one that was born out of extraordinary circumstances. The text of the agreement was prepared by representatives from both sides. The negotiators included Surya Dhungel on behalf of the government, while representing Gen Z was senior advocate Raju Chapagain. The two sides have also agreed to broaden the mandate of the Gauri Bahadur Karki-led commission investigating the scenario, officials and individuals responsible for the dozens of deaths and widespread destruction of public and private property during the September 8–9 uprising. The Kathmandu Post
The agreement stipulates that a high-level task force will be formed immediately to address the urgent and long-term needs of the families of those martyred and injured in the Gen Z movement, in consultation and coordination with the respective families and injured individuals. It further mentions ensuring comprehensive reparations, including interim relief, compensation, free health treatment, free education, employment, social security, and meaningful commemoration of the injured and the families of the deceased. The Kathmandu Post
Accountability for policing of protests
The agreement also addresses the issue of the use of force by security personnel during protests, stating that “A separate mechanism shall be formed to investigate the unjust and unlawful use of force by security agencies during various movements in Nepal, including the Gen Z movement, and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.” The mechanism will study and recommend necessary institutional reforms of the relevant laws and security agencies, and will submit its report within 90 days. The report will be made public, and the recommendations contained within it shall be implemented immediately, as per the agreement. The Kathmandu Post
Amnesty International briefing: policing failures, unlawful killings and use of force
Widespread failings by Nepal’s law enforcement agencies in policing September’s youth-led “Gen-Z” protests resulted in unlawful killings, unnecessary and excessive use of force, and severe injuries, Amnesty International said in a new briefing. Amnesty documented how security forces used mounting and ultimately lethal force – including live ammunition – against largely peaceful protesters during the assembly in Kathmandu on 8 September, at which at least 19 people were killed and more than 300 injured. Across the country, the two-day protests and six days of subsequent unrest left 76 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. Amnesty International
Amnesty’s briefing details systemic failures in the policing of assemblies, including the failure to exhaust non-violent means before resorting to force; the dangerous and unlawful use of less-lethal weapons; poor planning, preparation and training for policing of protests; unnecessary and unlawful use of lethal force in situations with no imminent threat of serious injuries or to life. “The young people killed and injured during the Gen-Z uprising deserve truth and justice,” said Nirajan Thapaliya, Director of Amnesty International Nepal. Amnesty International
Nepal’s largest-ever corruption case (related development)
Former Nepali ministers, officials and a Chinese company were charged with corruption over financial irregularities during the construction of Pokhara International Airport. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed cases against 55 people and the China CAMC Engineering Company Limited, accusing them of inflating construction expenses by more than $74 million. Two officials of the Chinese company have been named in the charges filed at the Special Court in Kathmandu. Business Standard
The bidding agreed with the government in 2012 was set at $169.6 million, but Nepali officials increased the amount to a little over $244 million “in collusion with the Chinese company,” the commission said. The airport, at the resort city of Pokhara, was built with a loan from China Exim Bank and began operations in 2023 but failed to attract international flights, according to local reports. Business Standard
Comparing national, regional and international framings
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Nepalese outlets reported the signing, the presence of senior officials and the visible rift within Gen Z groups at the ceremony while emphasising the pact’s text and proposed commissions and reparations. The Kathmandu Post The Rising Nepal
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Regional and international coverage placed the accord in the context of broader accountability and governance demands, and flagged related governance and corruption probes such as the Pokhara airport charges. Business Standard
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Human rights organisations called for impartial, transparent investigations into policing actions and urged accountability for unlawful uses of force documented during the September protests. Amnesty International
Share Your Thoughts
- What impact do you think the 10-point agreement will have on Nepal’s political transition?
- Will the commissions and mechanisms promised in the pact deliver meaningful accountability and reparations?
- How should investigators balance accountability for violent acts during the unrest with the accord’s call for releases and screening of activists?
- What lessons from this accord could other youth-led movements or governments consider when negotiating transitions?
- How might the Pokhara airport graft case affect public confidence in implementing the Gen Z agreement?