In 2022, under the Government of Nepal with the support of a team of water experts and a Task Force Team, a number of consultation workshops were organised with the participation of stakeholders from the government, non-government, academia, private sector and multi-lateral development partners. As a result, the Action Plan was developed with the objective of optimising the utilization of its water resources for a socially equitable and inclusive, environmentally secure and economically prosperous Nepal and to implement concrete actions for advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The following action was defined as part of that process and identified as a priority action included in the action plan.
The purpose of this action is to formulate a federal Umbrella Policy on IWRM implementation as well as to draft an Umbrella Policy for the provincial governments. In particular, the Policy will offer a comprehensive perspective on managing freshwater ecosystems, by contributing to implement river basin management plans and meeting water related sectoral development goals. In particular, this action needs to comply with international convention and treaties to which Nepal is a party, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. This action will be guided by the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) in coordination with the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE), the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA), the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), the Ministry of Water Supply (MoWS), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MoLJPA).
