Nepal Government Builds Local Level Resilience Against Disaster

Nepal Government introduced the ‘Strategy for Resilient Local Communities 2018’ to strengthen local level participation in climate change and disaster management.

According to the strategy published by the Ministry of Federal Affairs & General Administration, the model aims to introduce climate change and disaster management into development activities at the lower level.

Emphasizing the role of all three governments in bringing about the desired results, the constitution has also put local levels in charge of disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

The Strategy for Resilient Local Communities 2018 aims to define roles and working areas of the local levels & communities by identifying:

• Disaster and vulnerability
• Disaster preparedness and response
• Disaster risk reduction
• Developing the capacity for promoting resilience

Expected outcomes of the strategy include:

• Local, provincial and federal governments expansion
• Preparation of local emergency management action plan
• Reduction in physical, economic and social loss
• Timely mobilization of volunteers and security agencies for search, rescue & relief operation
• Implementation of the concept ‘Build Back Better’
• Smooth supply of essential goods and services in emergency

Concerned authorities will implement resilience development action in three phases:

• First phase: Identification of vulnerable areas, households and persons, relocation of vulnerable families to safer places, ensuring storage of necessary logistics, medicines, food, search & rescue equipment and insurance of crops and livestock
• Second phase: Capacity development in post-disaster activities including damage assessment, data collection and need assessment of emergency goods and services
• Third phase: Local levels & communities development of capacity to identify and implement the vulnerability mitigation measures

Climate change has been an important concern for Nepal which has been discussed in most conferences such as COP24 and Asia Pacific Summit 2018.