18th December, 2015, Nepalgunj, Banke

The Forum of Federations, in collaboration with the Association of District Development Committees of Nepal (ADDCN) and the Decentralization Support Society (DESSO), organized a paper presentation and discussion program on "Comparative Experience in Federal Design, Intergovernmental Relations and Coordination" in Nepalgunj on 18th December 2015.

Youth Initiative (YI) was also invited to take part in this important event. Representing the organization, Mr. Bamdev Pokhrel, District Program Coordinator (DPC) of Youth Initiative, Banke, actively participated in the program.

Purpose of the Forum
The forum was designed with two key objectives in mind:
- To provide participants with an overview of the practice of federalism, with a particular focus on intergovernmental relations in a number of other federations around the world
- To assist participants in playing an active role in the implementation of Nepal's new constitution and in developing effective mechanisms for governance and accountability

With Nepal having recently promulgated its new constitution and embarked on the journey toward federalism, the discussion was both timely and highly relevant. Learning from the comparative experiences of established federations offers valuable insights as Nepal designs its own intergovernmental structures.

Expert Presentations
The event featured insightful presentations and valuable opinions from distinguished guest speakers and experts:
- Associate Professor Roberta Ryan from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia, who shared international perspectives on federal design
- Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences, India, who drew on India's rich experience with federalism
- Dr. Shesh Raman Neupane, who presented on intergovernmental relations in the present context of Nepal, along with comparative experiences in intergovernmental relations and policy coordination

The program provided participants, including youth representatives, a deeper understanding of how federations across the world manage relations between levels of government, and how Nepal can build effective, accountable governance mechanisms under its new federal structure.

Participation in such forums reflects YI's continued commitment to engaging youth in the national discourse on governance, federalism, and constitutional implementation.