Peace by Corporate Means: How Mature Is the Private Sector for Peacebuilding in Nepal?

The civil war in Nepal, characterised on the rebel side by the formation of communist ideologies, has affected the private sector both physically and psychologically. The rebels had launched targeted attacks in big companies and projected business houses merely as 'profit-hungry institutions'. Tn addition, private sector activities have created both hopes and suspicions that persist in the discourse on business and peacebuilding. In this context, this briefing sheds light on certain challenges to the private sector's engagement in peacebuilding in post-war Nepal. It is based on qualitative research involving in-depth interviews and the application of case study methods (Ghimire & Upreti 2012). The briefing succinctly explains the initial results of a research project, 'Private Sector in Peace Promotion', conducted for three years jointly by swisspeace and Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North-South).