A powerful new opinion piece published in Setopati by Deepak Raj Sapkota and Uttam Sharma challenges the foundations of how international development is structured and delivered, and how it should be transformed.
Titled 'Beyond the Donor's Dictate: Why Nepal Needs a New Architecture of Development,' the article makes a compelling case that lasting change should start from within, with people, communities, and governments deciding for themselves;
"Change happens when people decide their situation is unacceptable, put efforts to step out from it, approach concerned agencies or individuals for support, and demand better. When they seek finance, knowledge, or partnerships, development cooperation can amplify transformation." - Deepak Raj Sapkota and Uttam Sharma
Drawing on Nepal's experience and the concrete example of the Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Program (DPRP) in Koshi Province, the authors show that genuine ownership is not just an aspirational principle - it is operationally viable. When local governments lead from the very first conversation, co-finance programs through their own official systems, and take accountability downward to their communities rather than upward to external donors, something remarkable happens: integrated programs sustain themselves. In Koshi, 73 municipalities have already transitioned to 100% government financing with zero external dependency.
“Proactive agency - rooted in local knowledge, enabled bytechnology, and expressed through genuine political ownership - is now the minimum threshold for meaningful development.” - Deepak Raj Sapkota and Uttam Sharma
The article is a timely and honest reckoning with the structural failures of supply-driven external aid - parallel systems that sometimes replace local institutions, compliance frameworks that extract data without strengthening knowledge, and exit strategies. It is also a call to courage and transformation: for the global development community to genuinely reflect on and rethink power frameworks.
“True progress demands absolute equality—treating development as one unified team. The outdated model where international partners design programs, control evaluation frameworks, and retain narrative authority must give way to a new paradigm where host governments lead from the very first conversation. This is not naive idealism; the operational success of the DPRP proves it is entirely viable. The real question is whether the global development community has the institutional courage to relinquish the control it has built its accountability structures around, transitioning from a culture of dependency to one of authentic empowerment.” - Deepak Raj Sapkota and Uttam Sharma
At TUNAFASI, these questions are close to our own vision and values. We believe this piece opens an important conversation about what authentic partnership should look like and how the development sector needs transformation, with more focus on local leadership and exit strategies from the start. We invite you to read the full article here.
