LocationsNational workshop distils lessons on sustaining disaster preparedness systems across Nepal’s three tiers of government
July 30, 2026
Kathmandu, 29 July 2026 — More than 100 representatives from federal, provincial and local governments, alongside parliamentarians, development partners, academia, civil society, the private sector, media and UN agencies, gathered in Kathmandu for the national workshop “Lessons learned and good practices in strengthening sustainable DRRM practices across three tiers of government.” The event provided a platform to take stock of Nepal’s progress in institutionalising disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) systems and to identify the priority actions needed to sustain them for the effective management of multi-hazard risks.
Jointly organised by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) and the “Strengthening Urban Preparedness, Earthquake Preparedness and Response in the Western Region of Nepal (SUPER-II)” project, with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the workshop brought together stakeholders engaged in the project implemented by a UNDP-led consortium with UNICEF, UN Women and Handicap International.
The sessions showcased practical experiences from three provinces (Karnali, Lumbini and Sudurpashchim) and five municipalities, including Nepalgunj, Godawari and Birendranagar. Through dedicated municipality-to-municipality and province-to-province learning sessions, disaster focal persons shared how they have advanced risk transfer and school-based disaster risk reduction, established municipal police and emergency operation centres, strengthened community preparedness and information management systems, institutionalised cluster mechanisms, and drawn lessons from simulation exercises and real emergency responses. NDRRMA presented how national policies and frameworks are being operationalised at provincial and local levels, including through its BIPAD and Multi-Hazard Disaster Situation Analysis (MDSA) portals.
A TED-style talk session, “Voices from the Community”, brought the human dimension of preparedness to the stage, with a municipal firefighter from Dhangadhi, an insurance beneficiary from Nepalgunj and a representative of an organisation of persons with disabilities working with the LGBTIQ community in Birendranagar sharing their own experiences of building resilience.
A key highlight of the event was the soft launch of the DRRM Roadmap for Parliamentarians. A catalogue of knowledge products developed under different phases of the SUPER project— including briefs on the long-term engagement of provincial parliamentarians on DRRM, resource pooling, risk transfer, gender-responsive costing of preparedness and response plans, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) in DRRM—was also presented to the participants.
A panel discussion involving representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, NDRRMA, provincial and local governments, civil society and UNDP examined priority actions for sustaining DRRM systems, focusing on resource sharing and pooling during disasters, partnerships and community engagement, financing and resource mobilisation, and inclusive disaster risk management that leaves no one behind.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Kyoko Yokosuka, Resident Representative of UNDP in Nepal, underlined that preparedness must be built into everyday systems of government rather than mobilised only when disaster strikes.
“Every rupee invested in preparedness saves many times over in lives, livelihoods and development gains that would otherwise be lost,” said Ms. Yokosuka. “What SUPER-II has demonstrated is that preparedness works best when it is not a project but a system — when emergency operation centres are staffed and budgeted for, when volunteers are trained and rostered, and when the needs of women, children and persons with disabilities are built into plans from the start. UNDP remains committed to supporting the Government of Nepal in carrying these systems forward across all three tiers of government.”
H.E. Ms. Veronique Lorenzo, Ambassador of the European Union to Nepal, reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to strengthening Nepal’s disaster preparedness.
“The European Union believes that preparedness is the most effective form of solidarity — acting before a disaster strikes is far more humane and far more efficient than responding after it,” said Ambassador Lorenzo. “Through European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), we have supported western Nepal’s provinces and municipalities in building the capacities they need to protect their own communities. The good practices being shared today deserve to be replicated well beyond the project areas, and we encourage all levels of government to allocate their own resources to sustain and scale up what has been achieved.”
Dr. Dharam Raj Uprety, Chief Executive of NDRRMA, highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts for effective disaster preparedness and response to climate-induced disasters in the country.
“Considering the changing disaster context throughout the country, we should be focusing on addressing climate-induced disasters in the coming days together with all DRRM stakeholders,” said Dr. Uprety. “The experiences shared today provide valuable evidence on what is working at the provincial and local levels. NDRRMA is committed to operationalising and reflecting these lessons in national policies, guidelines and portals, and to working with all partners so that preparedness becomes a permanent function of government rather than a temporary intervention.”
The workshop concluded with a shared commitment by three tiers of government to replicate good practices in new provinces and municipalities, strengthen coordination and resource sharing across the three tiers of government, and secure sustained public financing for disaster preparedness and response nationwide.
For more information, please contact:
Monica Upadhyay, Head of Communications, UNDP Nepal, monica.upadhyay@undp.org, +977-9841343953
About SUPER-II project: With support from the European Union, the “Strengthening Urban Preparedness, Earthquake Preparedness and Response in the Western Region of Nepal (SUPER-II)” project is being implemented from August 2024 to July 2026 in Karnali, Lumbini and Sudurpashchim provinces. Building on the earlier SUPER initiatives and on lessons from recent disasters, including the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake, the project works under the leadership of NDRRMA, provincial governments and municipalities to institutionalise government-led operational systems for urban and earthquake preparedness, strengthen coordination and information management in line with national frameworks, and enhance policy engagement so that preparedness and response mechanisms can be scaled up at federal, provincial and local levels. Inclusion is at the heart of the project, which addresses the specific needs of women, children and persons with disabilities. SUPER-II is implemented by a UNDP-led consortium with UNICEF, UN Women and Handicap International.
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