WB providing grant worth $4.5 million to strengthen capacity of indigenous people and local communities in climate action

KATHMANDU, Nov 16: The World Bank (WB) is providing grant support of US $4.5 million to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in Nepal’s forest sector.

An agreement to this effect was signed on Wednesday by Lada Strelkova, WB’s Operations Manager for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and Arjun Karki, President of Rural Reconstruction Nepal. The project is expected to enhance the capacity of IPLCs to participate in the country’s initiative for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) processes at the local, national, and global levels for the sustainable management of forests.

“This project supports Nepal’s Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities through a dedicated funding mechanism that will promote and protect their customary institutions that are crucial for the sustainable management of natural resources and climate resilience,” said Strelkova.

It will also help create livelihood opportunities and increase the income of forest-dependent communities in the Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces. Rural Reconstruction Nepal is the national executing agency for the project, reads a press release issued by the WB.