The meeting was co-convened by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), Nepal, Global Water Partnership Nepal/Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nepal. More than 80 participants representing key institutional and government stakeholders of the programme, especially representatives of WECS, UNICEF, GWP Nepal and GWP South Asia Regional Secretariat attended the meeting. The objectives of the meeting were twofold. To sensitise stakeholders and implementing partners about the GWL programme, to share generic workplan with stakeholders and seek inputs for inclusive programme implementation by incorporating climate resilient policies and plans related to integrated water resources management (IWRM) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
The launching ceremony was graced by Engineer Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, Secretary as
the Chief Guest and Mr Saraju Kumar Baidya, Joint-Secretary, Water Resources Division of WECS as the Chair. Followed by the welcome speech made by Mr Surya Nath Upadhyay, Secretary-General, GWP Nepal (JVS), representatives of GWP South Asia, UNICEF Country Office in Nepal and WECS gave brief introductions to their operations on the ground. They have explained their individual role in the collaboration and their expectations towards the GWL programme.
The programme proceeded to an inception workshop where the stakeholders further discussed about country specific key challenges to ensure inclusive water management and barriers for advancing resilient WASH services in Nepal. The Team Leader of GWL Programme, Mr Batu Uprety explained the nature of GWL Programme and its workplan for the period of 2022-2024. Further, he shared the key findings of the study of Stakeholder and Gender Analysis towards Inclusive and Resilient Water Resources Management in Nepal, in view of getting participants’ feedback prior to finalising the report.
The rich discussions on the GWL Programme and its way forward were taken place both in English and Nepalese (local language). Engineer Tiresh Prasad Khatri, Joint-Secretary, Ministry of Water Supply, Nepal concluded the inception workshop as the Chair with his closing speech. He thanked the participants for their active participation and contributions and reiterated the government's commitment to effectively implement the GWL Programme.
The GWL Programme
The programme is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and implemented by GWP and UNICEF, as well as the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership (SWA), and the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). The Grant Agreement between GWP and FCDO was signed on 30 April 2021.
The programme would break the long-lasted division between WASH and IWRM and would strengthen the collaboration at global as well as the national level. GWL Programme aims to empower new voices to advocate for the critical importance of sustainable IWRM and WASH services for health, livelihoods, economic growth, and climate resilience. It seeks to support governments in Least Developed and Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) to implement inclusive, climate-smart water policies and strategies, ultimately resulting in better-served and more climate resilient communities.
This programme is being implemented in 10 countries including Nepal and Bangladesh in South Asia. GWP and UNICEF is co-leading the programme in Nepal while UNCEF is leading it in Bangladesh. The project implementation in Nepal has started in October 2021.