Presentation by Dr. Maheshwar DHAKAL, Chief, Climate Change Management Division, Ministry of Forests and Environment, and Basanta PAUDEL, Nepal, as part of the webinar " Strengthening Alignment Between Adaptation to Climate Change – Disaster Risk Management – Sustainable Development", held on March 04, 2020.

1. Policy Alignment for
Climate Resilient
Development in Nepal
March 4, 2020
Ministry of Forests and
Environment
Dr. Maheshwar DHAKAL and Basanta
PAUDEL

2. • Dynamic governance situation: new Constitution, new
ministries, new sub-national governance structures
• Different Policy Processes are being undertaken to address
the pressing needs of the country-climate change impacts,
achieving sustainable development goals and the
development aspiration of the people!
• Imperative to explore, build and enhance understanding of
how these policy processes can be strategically aligned to
increase coherence, efficiency and effectiveness of climate
action in Nepal
• Needed to explore potential entry points for increased
alignment of policy processes related to the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement under the
United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Background

3. • One of the least GHG emitting country but more
affected by climate change
• Impacts of climate change are in increasing trend
particularly affecting the major socio-economic sectors
such as Agriculture, Forestry, Water Resources and
Energy
• Climate change posing a serious challenge in
development aspiration
Country Context

4. • Annually the maximum
temperature has been
increasing by 0.056°C,
along with a decrease in
precipitation by 1.3
mm/yr.
• Climate induced disaster
events are on the rise in
Nepal accounting for 80%
loss of property caused by
disaster attributable to
climate hazards,
particularly water-related
events such as floods and
landslides and GLOFs
(MoFE, 2018).
Climate Change and Vulnerability
Indices Vulner
ability
Rank
Year/Peri
od
consider
ed for
ranking
Year of
Publicatio
n
Organizatio
n
Remarks
Climate Risk
Index
4/187 2017 2019 German
Watch
4th most
affected
country
among 187
countries in
the world
Climate Risk
Index
11/187 1998-
2017
2019 German
Watch
11th most
affected
country
among 187
countries in
the world
ND Gain
Index
47 2017 2019 Notre Dame
Global
Adaptation
Initiative,
University of
Notre Dame
47th most
vulnerable
country

5. Climate Change Actions in Nepal: CCAdaptation
Policy Timeline

6. • Constitution of Nepal (2015)- ‘egalitarian society ensuring
economic equality, prosperity and social justice’
• Long-term vision, 2043: Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali shaped by
10 national goals [4 under prosperity and 6 under Happiness].
Healthy and Balanced Ecology is one of the goals for achieving
happiness.
• 15th Periodic Plan, 2019: Vision to develop a climate resilient
society through increasing adaptation capacity and mitigating the
negative impacts of climate change
• Climate Change Policy, 2019: Vision to Contributing to the socio-
economic development of the country through developing resilient
societies
• Environment Protection Act, 2019: Chapter 4- Climate Change
Management –related to providing information on climate change
impacts and risk on the communities and ecosystems; development
and implementation of adaptation plans by the federal, provincial and
local governments, implementation of mitigation actions, climate
change impact and risk management and carbon trade.
Nepal’s Policy Landscape: Vision for
Climate Resilient Development

7. • National Policy on Disaster Risk Reduction (2018)- Vision to
contribute to sustainable development by making the nation safer,
climate adaptive and resilient from risk by mainstreaming DRR in all
development processes along with climate change adaptation
activities
• National Strategy and Action Plan on DRR (2018): DRR and CCA
as a priority areas of interventions for medium and long-term
• Sustainable Development Goals: Status and Roadmap for 2016-
2030 (2017): By 2030 targeting to have climate change adaptation
plans developed and implemented in 120 Rural Municipalities, while
also developing 170 climate smart villages, 500 climate smart
agriculture systems and climate change curricula in all the schools of
Nepal
• National Adaptation Plan Process (2016…): identify medium and
long-term adaptation needs of the country and integrate into
relevant development plans, policies and laws
• Nationally Determined Contributions (2016): Adaptation
envisioned through NAP
Nepal’s Policy Landscape: Vision for
Climate Resilient Development

8. Policy Process Sustainable Development
Goals
Status and Roadmap:
2016-2030
Climate Change Policy
(2019)
Nationally
Determined
Contributions
National Adaptation Plan National Policy for Disaster
Risk Reduction
Status Prepared in 2017
Updated and now on the
process for approval
Completed in 2016,
in the process for
review and update
under process Developed in 2018
Timeframe
2016-2030 New Policy - Medium 2018-2035
Long term- 2018-2050
New policy
Lead Institution National Planning
Commission
Ministry of Forests and
Environment
Ministry of Forests
and Environment Ministry of Forests and
Environment
Ministry of Home Affairs
Objectives
Related to
Climate-Resilient
Development
Proposed key actions to
strengthen resilience and
adaptive capacity to climate-
related hazards and natural
disaster such as to have
climate change adaptation
plan in rural municipalities
(Gaunpalika), put forward
the idea of climate smart
villages and climate smart
farming as well as climate
change education in schools
Vision includes the
development of climate
resilient society and
contribute to the socio-
economic prosperity of the
country; objectively it aims
to
Integrate climate change
into all policies, strategies,
plan and programs at
levels and sectors of
government;
adopt low carbon
development and promote
green economy
Adaptation needs
for the future to be
envisioned through
National Adaptation
Plan, development
of adaptation
strategies for
climate change
affected sectors,
formulate Low
Carbon Economic
Development
Strategy
Reduce vulnerability to the
impacts of climate change by
building adaptive capacity and
resilience; and facilitate the
integration of climate change
adaptation, in a coherent
manner, into relevant new and
existing policies, programmes
and activities, in particular
development planning
processes and strategies, within
all relevant sectors and at
different levels, as appropriate.
Vision is to contribute to
sustainable development by
making the nation safer,
climate adaptive and resilient
from disaster risk thorough
increased understanding on
disaster risk, strengthening
disaster risk governance, ,
mainstreaming DRR in all
development processes by
integrating it with climate
change adaptation activities
and improved disaster
information management
system and enhancing public
private investment in disaster
risk reduction.
Priority Sectors
Agriculture, Food Security,
Forests and Biodiversity,
Nutrition, Water Resources,
Water and Sanitation
(Health), Education, Gender
and Social Inclusion, Physical
Infrastructures and
Settlements, Industries,
Energy, Livelihood and
Governance, Disaster Risk
Management
Agriculture and Food
Security, Forests,
Biodiversity and Watershed,
Water Resources and
Energy, Rural and Urban
Settlements,
Industry, Transport and
Physical Infrastructure,
Tourism, Natural and
Cultural Heritage, Health
Water and Sanitation and
Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management, Gender, Social
Not Specifically
mentioned
however,
Agriculture, Forests,
Energy and
Transport are found
as the key sector in
terms of NDC
targets
Agriculture and Food Security
(Nutrition), Climate Induced
Disaster, Forests and
Biodiversity, Public Health
(WASH), Tourism, Natural and
Cultural Heritage, Urban
Settlement and Infrastructures,
Water Resources and Energy,
Gender and Marginalized Group
(Social Inclusion) and
Livelihood and Governance
Not specified
Building Climate Resilient Society

9. Cont..
• National vision document along with 15th periodic plan
approach paper and the sectoral policies and strategies
provides opportunities towards climate resilient development
in Nepal.
• Coherency within the main issues of the plan, policies and
strategies, their continuity and synergy between priority
sectors as in the past has hindered the achievement of the
goals and objectives of the periodic plans (NPC, 2018).
• alignment within the national policy processes considering
international commitments such as 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has become
imperative

10. Mapping of Nepal Policy Process for Climate
Resilient Development
International
National

11. Institutional Arrangement for CRD in Nepal
Climate Change Council
(Chaired by Prime Minister)
Climate Change Coordination Committee
(Chaired by Minister, Ministry of Forests
and Environment)
Multi-stakeholder Climate Change
Initiative Coordination Committee
Chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Forests
and Soil Conservation
Climate Change
Ministry of Forests and
Environment
Climate Change Management
Division
Headed by Joint Secretary
Climat
e
Chang
e
Sectio
n
Technology
Developme
nt and
Promotion
Section
Adaptation
and
Sustainable
Developme
nt Section
Clean
Developme
nt
Mechanism
Section

12. National Steering Committee
(Chaired by Prime Minister)
Coordination Committee
(Chaired by Vice Chairman, National
Planning Commission)
Thematic Committee
(Chaired by Member of National
Planning Commission)
Sustainable Development Goals
National Planning Commission
Economic
Manageme
nt Division
Research
and
Evaluation
Division
Infrastructu
re
Production
Division
Good
Governanc
e and
Social
Developme
nt Division

13. Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

14. • Entry Point 1: Existing synergies in policy
documents (coherency)
• Entry Point 2: Institutional arrangements
• Entry Point 3: Capacity building
• Entry Point 4: Information sharing mechanisms
• Entry Point 5: Implementation and financing
strategies
• Entry Point 6: Monitoring, evaluation and review
Entry points for Alignment to identify synergies
among policy processes

15. a) Form a team within the ministry to start up the alignment process
b) Communicate and hold series of meetings with sectoral ministries
and in particular the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Planning
Commission
c) Review and finalize the NDC in line with other Policy Processes
d) Formulate the NAP along with the implementation strategy
e) Establish and operationalize integrated coordination mechanisms at
the provincial level
f) Foster partnerships for aligned implementation of the policy
processes for climate resilient development
g) Promote multi-stakeholder engagement in different policy
processes
h) Establish and link the provincial level climate change coordination
mechanism to support alignment of the policy processes
CRD in Nepal: Next steps!!

16. Thank You