Under the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the ‘Second National Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction (NCDRR) was successfully organized in Kathmandu, Nepal with technical and
financial support from DPNet- Nepal and USAID Tayar Nepal. The primary focus of this conference was
to enable the sharing of good practices and lessons learned with the objective to provide input to
future plans and policies on DRR. The timing was opportune, as 2023 marks the mid-term of the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), and the conference concluded by concentrating itself
around the four priority areas of SFDRR. Furthermore, the outcomes of this conference played a vital
role in crafting a position paper and official statements to participate in various regional and
international platforms such as APMCDRR and GPDRR.
Goals and Objectives
The conference successfully achieved the set primary objectives of sharing the current state of
Disaster Risk Reduction, DRR research, best practices, and learnings across all levels of government
and multi-stakeholders, promoting cross-learning, and providing policy feedback of these learnings
into future policies, and legislation.
Key Highlights of the Conference
- Session Themes: The sessions were structured around the four priority themes of
the SFDRR. This included understanding disaster risk, enhancing disaster risk governance,
investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and improving disaster preparedness for an
effective response and reconstruction.
- Mode: In an effort to accommodate a wide range of participants, the conference
was designed in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and virtual attendance.
- Participants: The Conference had an attendance of 319 participants. It acted as
a melting pot of representatives from government and semi-government institutions, development
partners, private sector organizations, NGOs, academia, researchers, and media. The conference
committed itself to inclusivity, making deliberate efforts to ensure the representation of
women, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities.
- Language Accessibility: The conference provided sign language interpretation,
close captioning, and English-to-Nepali and Nepali-to-English language interpretations to
enhance inclusivity.
- Learning and Sharing: This conference served as a hub for the exchange of
research, best practices, and experiences in disaster risk reduction among various levels of
government and other concerned stakeholders.
- Marketplace Exhibition: The DRR marketplace exhibition served as a platform for
showcasing cutting-edge technologies, publications, productions, and innovative ideas in the
field of DRR.
- Networking Opportunities: Attendees had the opportunity to partake in
networking sessions integrated with social events, offering ample opportunities for interaction
with peers, speakers, and representatives from different organizations.