Thematic Area

DPNet-Nepal established as a loose network, acts a bridge between government agencies and CSO’s, I/NGO’s to collaborate and coordinate for effective disaster risk reduction and management in the country. Coordination and networking being one of the major thematic area of the organization, it coordinates, establishes and enhances its networking with government agencies, global networks and 95 member organization, comprising of I/NGOs, academia and UN agencies. The network mainly coordinates to organize policy dialogues, lesson learned workshops, capacity building programs and meetings to promote and advocate pertinent contextual issues and share the experiences of disaster risk reduction and management in national levels.

DPNet-Nepal has been hosting its slogan of ‘Fostering Knowledge on Disaster Management’. Since its establishment, DPNet-Nepal, has served as a platform and warehouse of knowledge sharing and management on disaster risk reduction and management. It actively collects and documents best practices and share learning's at national and international level. Interaction and learning sharing workshops, publication and translation of DRR relevant international guidelines and documents, international day celebration and IEC material publication are some adoptive means of DPNet-Nepal for knowledge management.

Capacity Building Capacity building of trainers and practitioners in DRR&M is a priority area of DPNet-Nepal. DPNet-Nepal includes training of trainers and training program in its annual program and organizes accordingly. Considering the need and context, basically, the capacity building programs of the organization are offered to member organizations and individuals working in the field of DRR&M. DPNet-Nepal coordinates with AINTGDM and member organizations for the financial and technical support to deliver the intended program.

Advocating for DRR&M related issues and policy advocacy on contextual issues are major activities under Policy Advocacy. DPNet-Nepal organizes discussions and orientations on policy, plans and legislations apart from the usual technical support for policy formulation, revision and promulgation. Media partnership, initiating campaigns, workshops and orientations, and use of national platforms are some means of policy and advocacy adopted by DPNet-Nepal. DPNet-Nepal usually organizes interaction for advocacy program with wide range of stakeholders including, CSO’s, Academia, I/NGO’s, Donors, UN agencies and Members of Parliament.

The Third National Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3rd NCDRR), held in Kathmandu on December 26–27, 2024, brought together a broad range of stakeholders including government agencies, UN and donor agencies, INGO, NGO, civil society, media, academia, private sectors, experts, disaster-affected communities. Honorable Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak served as the Chief Guest and reaffirmed the government’s dedication to enhancing disaster preparedness, announcing a monthly dialogue disaster management related dialogue with Home Minister. Participants stressed the need for urgent measures to mitigate potential large-scale disasters, drawing lessons from the devastating Monsoon 2024. In anticipation of Nepal’s participation at the upcoming Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2025, the conference laid the groundwork for formulating an official statement and a cohesive position paper. Core recommendations emerging from the deliberations included revising the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act to improve coordination among federal, provincial, and local governments; strengthening early warning systems, hazard mapping, and risk communication while ensuring the meaningful inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities; expanding local-level capacity through specialized training, resource allocation for rapid deployment, and the institutionalization of an Incident Command System; and promoting greater private sector involvement and risk-transfer mechanisms, particularly more accessible insurance products, to alleviate the economic burdens faced by communities hardest hit by disasters.

There are a number of lessons that can be taken from this conference to foster effective disaster risk reduction activities to encourage partner support. Details of the conference including conference proceedings can be accessed at https://dpnet.org.np/ncdrr3.