As Nepal stands on the threshold of a national general election, political parties have begun making public their commitments through election manifestos. However, in recent years, many critical public concerns—particularly those related to road safety, sustainable mobility, public health and transport governance—have remained marginalised or inadequately addressed within political agendas.

In response, a broad coalition of civil society actors working directly and indirectly in the fields of automobiles, road safety, sustainable roads and safe transportation has jointly submitted a policy recommendation document to Nepal’s major political parties. The initiative represents the collective voice of a number of organisations, victim families, subject-matter experts, journalists and road safety campaigners, advocating for the rightful inclusion of these issues in national political commitments.

The recommendation paper was led by the Nepal Automobiles’ Association (NASA Nepal) in collaboration with the National Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Mobility–Nepal, NASA Foundation and Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal. The document was formally submitted to major political parties including the Nepali Congress, CPN–UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). Additionally, the recommendations were presented to other political parties such as the Ujyalo Nepal Party, Progressive Democratic Party (PDPN) and the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Nepal (LSP), on behalf of Nepali experts and professional communities working globally in these sectors.

The submission emphasizes that building a prosperous, civilised and modern Nepal requires strong political commitment to the following priority areas:

• The right to safe and fear-free mobility.
• The right to health and injury prevention.
• Safe, organised, reliable and regular public transport.
• Alignment with relevant United Nations conventions and global road safety commitments.
• Implementation of long-pending laws, regulations and programs.
• Enactment of a comprehensive Road Safety Act.
• Establishment of a Road Safety Council.
• Reforms related to the International Driving Permit (IDP) system.
• Consumer protection and human rights within the transport and mobility sector.

Senior leaders from major political parties received the recommendation document and acknowledged its importance. Among them were Mr. Dev Raj Chaalise, Spokesperson of the Nepali Congress; Mr. D.P. Aryal, Vice-Chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Mr. Ram Bahadur Thapa “Badal”, Vice-Chair of CPN–UML. They expressed a shared commitment to incorporate these critical issues into their respective party manifestos, recognising their significance in the construction of a modern, inclusive and sustainable Nepal.