Climate resilience planning in mountainous regions in Nepal

Nepal is a nascent, fast-evolving democracy and yet many towns still have a distinctly rural character with an agro-based economy. The country is dealing with a rapidly increasing urban population in search of better socio-economic opportunities. Unplanned development and inadequate investment in basic services, coupled with the impacts of climate change, is exacerbating existing inequity and environmental degradation, making the region highly susceptible to climate hazards such as flooding and landslides.

The report notes that rapidly urbanising Nepalese cities and towns need to prepare dedicated resilience strategies to address climate change impacts and challenges. The constitutional transformation of the country from a unitary to a federal structure has provided municipalities with greater opportunities to integrate climate and disaster planning into their annual plans. However, local governments are facing several challenges in undertaking climate action due to lack of technical capacity among municipal staff, limited financial allocations and lack of clarity about the role of government agencies in supporting climate action. For climate resilience plans to be effective, they must be developed using tools and processes specific to local governments, and that support collaboration among and between all levels of government.