Challenges in Digital Rights in Nepal: Failure to Adopt a Multi-Stakeholder Approach

Taranath Dahal, former president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Executive Director of Freedom Forum, has stated that the main reason for the persistent problems in digital rights in Nepal is the failure to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach.

Speaking at the Digital Rights Conference 2025 held on Tuesday, Dahal said that although voices have been repeatedly raised regarding the development, reconstruction, encouragement of the private sector, determination of rights, and formulation of laws related to digital rights, they have not been implemented in practice.

He said, "What is Nepal's core issue in this Digital Rights, Digital Conference is that the main reason why all the problems related to digital rights in Nepal—be it development, reconstruction, encouraging private companies, determining rights, or the process of making laws—which we have always raised and talked about but couldn't achieve, is that Nepal has genuinely failed to adopt the multi-stakeholder approach. This is the misfortune."

He further stated that policies and decisions related to digital rights in Nepal are often based on a unilateral perspective, which has created problems in understanding.

"Our many challenges, problems of understanding, decisions being made on the basis of a unilateral perspective, and policies being formulated based on a single party's understanding are recurring. This has added problems upon problems. As a result, we are unable to achieve the dream of digitization," he said.

Dahal stressed that due to such practices, Nepal has not been able to achieve the expected dream of digitization, and emphasized the need for policy formulation based on the equal participation of all stakeholders.