Data has the potential to positively impact and improve people's health and well-being. Acknowledging this, Lumbini Province has established a Health Data Management Committee to harness the power of data to bring about positive changes in the health sector. This comes at a time when data-informed policymaking is often found lacking at the sub-national level.

To ensure safe deliveries, the province has formulated a comprehensive Institutional Delivery Action Plan. Its primary objective is to provide skilled birth assistance during deliveries to improve the well-being of mothers across the province.

Every province in Nepal faces the risk of various disasters. Against this background, Lumbini has developed a Health Sector Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan to equip the health sector with the necessary tools and strategies to effectively respond to emergencies and ensure uninterrupted healthcare services even during disasters.

These developments in Lumbini set an example for other provincial governments to follow. In other words, these cases could serve as a success story of a particular provincial or local government. There might be other undisclosed instances where a provincial or local government has accomplished noteworthy achievements while its counterparts and the federal government remain unaware of the achievements.

Currently, there is a lack of a formal mechanism at the sub-national level to facilitate the efficient sharing of good practices or challenges between two or more governments. There is also a lack of sub-national level mechanisms to identify the progress made in specific areas or to address the remaining challenges. Such mechanisms must be established to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among provincial or local governments.

A significant factor contributing to this problem is the absence of Communities of Practice (CoPs) at the sub-national level. CoPs can play a vital role in addressing this critical issue. Regrettably, governments and development partners have failed to establish CoPs in Nepal, resulting in the unnecessary expenditure of resources, including money, time, energy and human efforts. Establishing CoPs would not only promote effective collaboration and facilitate knowledge sharing, ultimately leading to more efficient and resourceful solutions.

The Provincial Coordination Council, as outlined by the Federal, Provincial and Local Level (Coordination and Interrelationships) Act 2020, can serve as a valuable CoP for effective coordination between provincial and local governments. Unfortunately, it has not lived up to its purpose. Additionally, the law also calls for the establishment of sectoral committees that have the potential to function like CoPs to facilitate collaborative efforts and coordination in various areas, such as health and education, across all levels of government and non-government. However, progress in this regard has been either minimal or non-existent.

CoP explained

The World Bank Group (WBG) defines CoPs as "a gathering of individuals motivated by the desire to cross organisational boundaries, to relate to one another, and to build a body of actionable knowledge through coordination and collaboration." In the ever-evolving global development landscape, WBG stands as a trailblazer in establishing and fortifying CoPs.

Several CoPs the Bank has at the global and regional levels serve as powerful platforms through which it engages with a diverse array of external stakeholders across the globe. These platforms tackle intricate challenges that require adaptive solutions, recognising that isolation is not the key to success. Based on my experience working for WBG, CoPs undeniably provide immense value to their members, host agencies and partners.

CoPs in Nepal

For several years, CoPs have been extensively adopted in Western countries and India. They can play a crucial role in Nepal's development. This is because each of the seven provinces, six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities face distinct challenges and possess unique potentials. While specific problems and opportunities may be similar, it is essential to recognise that they cannot be effectively addressed in isolation.

CoPs are formed when it is acknowledged that no one has all the answers to every challenge or opportunity and that everyone can benefit from support. In this sense, each local and provincial government needs to connect with at least one other to exchange knowledge, expertise and experiences. Mutually beneficial collaborative relationships and partnerships with one another in any form can significantly contribute to overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities.

Among many areas that provinces or local governments can focus on, some can genuinely make a CoP shine and yield immediate results. One is learning where provinces or local governments can learn from each other by exchanging knowledge, expertise, and experiences. For instance, in the health sector, it can be around good work and unique challenges vis-à-vis attempts to discourage home births in the remotest areas and encourage institutional deliveries. On the other hand, by sharing these experiences, a provincial or local government can find an answer to what strategies are effective and might not work.

This knowledge exchange has the potential to save a big chunk of taxpayers' money as it is likely that similar interventions or approaches will be successful for provincial or local governments facing similar geographical and social contexts. In addition, CoPs could be used to boost and scale innovative solutions. For any provincial or local government, the quest to discover a fresh solution to unique problems, let's say in healthcare, can be likened to finding a treasure trove.

Never too late to start

Sixteen years after Nepal became a republic, the country faces the immense task of addressing numerous development challenges. Since the sub-national governments are essential actors in development, they must step up their efforts, as carrying on with business as usual could lead to missed opportunities for the country. Despite ongoing political rifts, there is a significant opportunity to shift the focus towards finding common ground and working together to deliver impactful outcomes. Given this, there is a pressing need to introduce a mechanism that brings together the whole government apparatus, international development partners working in Nepal, the private sector and all stakeholders to foster collaboration, engage in dialogue, and exchange best practices and challenges.

In summary, CoPs have significant potential to contribute to Nepal's development by promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, capacity-building and innovation, bringing together experts, practitioners, policymakers and all stakeholders to share insights, experiences and resources, allowing all three tiers of government to learn from each other's successes and failures.