Gen Z Movement: Progress on Nepal's 10-Point Agreement

The most emotionally charged demand of the Gen Z movement was the simplest: recognize the dead, and hold accountable those who killed them. On the recognition front, the government moved quickly. Forty-five protesters were officially declared martyrs. Bhadra 23 was designated as an annual "Gen Z Martyrs' Day." A national day of mourning was observed. Families received initial financial relief of NPR 10 lakh per martyr and NPR 5 lakh for funeral expenses.

But the harder half — accountability — is where progress slows. A High-Level Judicial Inquiry Commission was formed on September 21, 2025, and it has imposed travel restrictions on the former Prime Minister and Home Minister. The IGP and former Chief District Officer of Kathmandu have given testimony. However, former PM K.P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak have publicly refused to give testimony. Major political parties (CPN-UML, Nepali Congress) are not cooperating.

Meanwhile, the promise to form a high-level task force for long-term reparation — free healthcare, psychosocial counseling, education, and employment for martyr families and the 2,000+ injured — remains at an early stage. A promise was made to send 1,000 family members for overseas employment, but this is described as "preparation" rather than implementation. The memorial park has been announced but not built.

• Done Martyr declaration, financial relief, Martyrs' Day — Score: 80
• In Progress Inquiry Commission, memorial park, ID cards — Score: 55
• At Risk Task force for long-term reparation (health, education, jobs) — Score: 30

The agreement envisioned sweeping democratic reform: constitutional amendments, election system overhaul, party leader term limits, overseas voting for millions of migrant workers, and a NOTA ("none of the above") option on ballots. Three months later, the picture is mixed at best.

What has happened: 837,094 new voters were registered. 114 political parties registered with the Election Commission. NPR 6.73 billion was secured for election administration. Politically-appointed ambassadors were recalled from 11 countries — a concrete anti-patronage action. A draft election law was submitted to the Election Commission.

What has not happened is more telling. The House of Representatives was dissolved, which means no legislation can be passed. This single fact blocks nearly every structural reform in the agreement: NOTA on ballots, mandatory primary elections within parties, party leader term limits, asset declaration requirements, constitutional amendments, and overseas voting infrastructure. These aren't failures of will — they are structural impossibilities under the current political situation.

The Constitutional Amendment Suggestion Commission was announced but never formed. Removing the PM as Chancellor of Tribhuvan University is in "preparation" — a bill was drafted but the court issued an interim order blocking implementation. CPN-UML's chairman K.P. Oli was elected to a third term as party president on Paush 3, 2082 — directly contradicting the agreement's call for two-term limits on party leaders.

• Done Voter registration (837K new voters) — Score: 85
• Done Ambassador recall (11 countries) — Score: 85
• In Progress Election law reform, free/fair election prep — Score: 55
• At Risk NOTA, primary elections, term limits, overseas voting — Score: 15–30
• No Action Constitutional reform commission not formed — Score: 0

The third pillar of the agreement was about building a more transparent government: publishing decisions openly, capping cash transactions, publishing past inquiry reports, and reducing bloated bureaucracy. Here the government has taken genuinely positive steps — but also undermined them with contradictory actions.

On the positive side: cabinet decisions are being published on the government website. Foreign aid and loan decisions are disclosed through cabinet meetings. Government transfers and promotions are made public. A cash transaction limit of NPR 500,000 was introduced from Magh 1, 2082, requiring banking channels for larger transactions. The Prime Minister announced that 38 redundant offices were abolished and 323 positions eliminated. The "Hello Sarkar" grievance hotline addressed over 50,000 complaints.

But then there's the other side: the Prime Minister's Chief Personal Secretary, Adarsh Kumar Shrestha, appointed his own family members to the PM's secretariat — a nepotism scandal that directly contradicts the agreement's call for merit-based appointments. Past inquiry commission reports remain unpublished. The promised review of MP salary and benefits has barely begun. And the deeper structural changes — transparent public appointment processes, ending patronage — remain aspirational.

• In Progress Cabinet decision publishing, aid transparency — Score: 55–60
• In Progress Cash transaction limits (NPR 5L) — Score: 60
• At Risk MP benefits review — Score: 30
• At Risk Publishing past inquiry commission reports — Score: 15
• No Action GenZ Council, Digital Freedom laws — Score: 0