Climate change is a global issue that affects various sectors in Nepal. Changing patterns in temperature, incidences of new insects and diseases, and decreasing soil fertility due to long droughts and erratic rainfall adversely affect human life. The impacts of climate change are not restricted by geographical territories and individual and joint efforts are indispensable for mitigating them. The Local Initiatives to Reduce the Impacts of Climate Change (LIRIC) project was developed to address the impact of climate change through both individual and joint efforts. As an individual approach, the project supports Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in raising awareness of climate change and the transfer to climate resilience technologies. Joint approaches include conducting climate change-related classes in schools and collaborating with local media and local governments.
The project has recently collaborated with six local levels of Mahottari and Dhanusha districts of Madhesh province to discuss establishing an inter-local governmental (Inter-LG) mechanism for climate change. An ‘Inter-LG’ is a network of local governments organised to work on common issues in a comparatively larger territory.
The Inter-LG collaboration meeting was held on 24th February 2023, attended by Mr. Saroj Kumar Yadav, the Physical Infrastructure and Development Minister of Madhesh province, and chaired by CDAFN. Mayors, Vice Mayors, the Chief Executive Officer, and project focal persons of respective local levels were also present. Mr Saroj Kumar Yadav reiterated his support of the Inter-LG, with all attendees expressing their agreement of the need for it to work on some common issues. Mr. Binod Ghimire is facilitating the development of the operational guideline and dissemination. He will continue coordinating and consulting with each local government (6 local levels).
The LIRIC project is funded by the European Union, Austrian Development Agency, and ADRA Austria. We are working with local partners Rupantaran and CDAFN.
