04 September 2019, Kathmandu
The European Union (EU), Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Development Partners Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA) have agreed to provide a grant assistance of One Hundred Million US Dollar, equivalent to Eleven Billion Four Thousand Million Nepalese Rupees (NPR 11.4 billion) to Nepal. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of provincial and local governments to deliver public service in a more effective and efficient way. This project will ensure to attain functional, sustainable, inclusive and accountable provincial and local governance by maximizing benefits of cooperative federalism for Nepali citizen. The project will conclude in four fiscal years commencing from July 2019/20 and wrapping up in July 2022/23. The Joint Financing Arrangement to this effect was signed and exchanged between the Government of Nepal and JFA Development Partners at the Ministry of Finance, Kathmandu, yesterday.
Important activities listed under the project are Innovation and Partnership Fund, Local Policy, Strategy, Guidelines, Framework & Institutional Development, Capacity Development Programme (Province and Local Level), and Public Financial Management (PMF) for the implementation of SuTRA and Local PFM. The project is expected to be a landmark project in capacitating the sub-national governments by bridging the existing gap among three levels of governance system. The JFA was signed by Mr. Shree Krishna Nepal Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance on behalf of Government of Nepal and Matthew John Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development (DFID), Lasse Bjorn Johannessen, Ambassador, Norwegian Embassy in Nepal and Elisabeth Von Capeller, Ambassador, Swiss Embassy in Nepal, on behalf of their respective Governments. The European Union has already extended the commitments and will sign the JFA at earliest.
The Government of Nepal has expressed its appreciation to the European Union, Governments of the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland for providing such generous financial support for this program and for the continuation of trusted partnership in strengthening provincial and local level governance. 
