ABSTRACT
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in South Asia, largely dependent on agriculture and remittances through labour migration from abroad. By the time the peace agreement was signed that would bring Nepal's civil war to an end in 2006, the country had endured a decade of violent conflict between Maoist insurgents and government forces, bringing misery and destruction to the country's poorest, rural communities. Given that the conflict was driven by deep-rooted grievances around inequality, caste, ethnic and gender-based discrimination, poverty, and citizenship rights, any effective attempt to resolve it would have to address these thorny issues. The chapter demonstrates Nepal's peace process that certainly took steps to address these questions through a number of provisions included in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and the prospect of a return to open conflict with the Maoists now seems inconceivable, as they have been fully integrated into the mainstream political process.
