Parshuram Upadhyay (Parshu) is senior governance advisor in Nepal for The Asia Foundation. Parshu brings more than 20 years of experience in subnational governance, policy and law, participatory planning, and fiscal federalism. Prior to joining the Foundation in May 2018, Parshu worked as an expert on federalism for the Local Governance and Community Development Program, Nepal’s largest local governance program funded jointly by the Government of Nepal and multiple development partners. During Nepal’s transition to federalism, he contributed to the development of a range of foundational policies and laws related to subnational governance and service delivery. Prior to that, Parshu was the Executive Director of the National Association of Village Development Committees in Nepal, an umbrella organization of over 3,000 local government bodies. His major contributions at the time included efforts to ensure explicit provisions for democratic local governance in Nepal’s new federal Constitution. He also played a leading role in another local government association, the Association of District Development Committees in Nepal, where he managed programs, conducted research and studies, and strengthened local government networks and capacities.
Parshu has taught courses in business and law at Tribhuvan University. He was a civil servant for more than eight years, serving different ministries, departments, and line offices across the country. Parshu is a member of different legal networks in Nepal, including the Bagmati High Court Bar Association and the Constitutional Lawyers Forum, where he is an advisor. He has contributed to a number of articles, books, reports, and policy briefs on local governance, fiscal decentralization, human rights, gender and social inclusion, and intergovernmental relations.
Education: Parshu holds a master’s degree in Law from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.