Under the leadership of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA) of the Government of Nepal and with the support of USAID Tayar Nepal and in technical support of the Atullya Foundation, a two days orientation program on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Resource book was held at the Neelkantha Municipality, Dhading on 26 and 27 December, 2023. The participants included Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer, Ward Chairpersons, DRR Focal persons, local level municipals officials, representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities of Neelkantha Municipality. The main purpose of the event was to share and orient about the resource book and collect feedback from the participants.
During the event, Mayor Bhim Prasad Dhungana urged all the representatives from the municipality for active participation so that the suggestions and feedbacks gathered from this municipality could be incorporated in the resource book which in the future will be disseminated in all the 743 municipalities of Nepal. Deputy Mayor, Deepak Biswakarma, Neelkantha Municipality conveyed his appreciation to the team for choosing their municipality as the inaugural location for the orientation program. He emphasized that true inclusion is only possible if all municipalities comprehend the importance of addressing disability issues. Likewise, Ramri Nepal, the DRR Focal person for Neelkantha Municipality, urged participants to share constructive feedback and suggestions during the session.
Day one featured presentation by Mr. Rishi Raj Acharya, MOFAGA on addressing Nepal’s laws on disability in Disaster Risk Reduction, emphasizing the nation’s disaster risks along with presentation by Mr. Purushottam Subedi, Chief Administrative Officer, Neelkantha Municipality on disaster risk reduction and management activities carried out by the municipality along with the activities carried out by municipality in promoting and supporting the rights of persons with disabilities, presentation by Mr. Pallav Pant, Chairperson, Atullya Foundation on an overview of Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk reduction activities and about the DIDRR Get Ready Guidebook followed by presentation by Mr. Santosh Khatri, MOFAGA on the section A of the DIDRR resource book. The day one session also included game/role play on disability and accessibility.
Day two covered presentations on on Disability Awareness and Disability and Disaster Risk Management by Mr. Pallav Pant and an overview on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion during disaster scenario by Mr. Santosh Khatri, MOFAGA.
During the group work session, participants were divided into five groups, each assigned a specific topic. They offered feedback on the current scenario and identified future actions related to a. Legal provisions, b. Institutional structures, c. Periodic planning, annual budget, and monitoring and evaluation, d. Coordination, partnerships, and collaborations, e. Resources and capacities, and other interrelated subjects, all relating to disability. Emphasizing the importance of integrating disability aspects into each topic, participants highlighted key points, including the inclusion of persons with disabilities or disability-focused organizations in municipalities’ monitoring and evaluation committees, the formation of stakeholder groups at the ward level, capacity-building for local governments through training and resources related to disability, and the necessity for a more disability-friendly budget and prioritization of disability inclusion. Additionally, participants provided feedback on section B of the resource book, suggesting the incorporation of local resources for communication, provision of psychosocial counseling, and mapping of women-friendly shelters.
