Nepal, UK sign grant agreement worth Rs 13 billion for climate resilience, empowerment of local levels

KATHMANDU, Aug 29: Nepal and the United Kingdom have signed two separate memorandums of understanding (MoU) relating to grant aid on Wednesday. 

One of the grants with funding of some Rs 6.5 billion is for the programme focused on resilience, adaptation, and inclusion in Nepal, while another of Rs 6.58 billion emphasizes on gender and human development outcomes.

According to the UK embassy in Nepal, the Resilience, Adaptation, and Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) programme is a six-year initiative that will be implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) to strengthen disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, respectively. The RAIN programme will operate in Karnali, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces.

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Meanwhile, Samartha is a seven-year programme designed to enhance the systems and capacities of provincial and local governments to expand access to and deliver quality social services, with a particular focus on the education and health sectors. This programme will be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) and the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). Samartha will operate in the Lumbini and Madhesh provinces.

The MoUs were signed by Joint Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Dhani Ram Sharma, on behalf of Nepal and Development Director and Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in Kathmandu, Pippa Bird on behalf of the UK government, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday. 

During the grant signing ceremony, Joint Secretary Sharma said, "These two MoUs are testament to the cordial and steadfast development cooperation between our two countries. I believe that the relevant government agencies will coordinate effectively to achieve the objectives of these programs."

Similarly, Pippa Bird viewed, "We're committed to supporting Nepal to address the challenges brought by climate change, global and regional health threats, and scarce resources to provide social services. Among others, these programs will build resilience to natural disasters and climate change and improve the delivery of basic services to the most vulnerable."