The efforts made by the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme to reduce the level of poverty amongst low income families has received national recognition based on its comprehensive approach to developing rural enterprises with poor people, backward communities and people from ethnic and indigenous groups as its focus group. The success of its intervention has its foundation on the multi-dimensional methodology and participatory partnership approach by involving existing national institutions rather than setting new ones. In this reference, service providers in Nepal have in the past tried to address poverty by providing their assistance independently of other service providers.

To address the gaps in linking all the necessary support systems necessary for micro-entrepreneurs, the UNDP and the government of Nepal set out to promote a model that would take an integrated and market oriented approach to micro-enterprise development by coordinating entrepreneurship and skill training, providing easy access to micro-finance and markets and providing poor people with appropriate technology that would increase efficiency and productivity. The enterprise development model promoted through the joint initiative has given a new perspective to addressing poverty; not only in Nepal, but in the south Asia region as well. The programme has focused on six integrated programmes which form a comprehensive package to ensure poor people's participation in enterprise development and their sustainability on the long run.