25 September 2023, Kathmandu.

Subsequent to the SDG Summit on 18 September, the inception meeting set a base for kickstarting collaboration between UN-Habitat and Chandragiri municipality for SDG localization in Nepal. The partnership between UNDESA, UNESCAP, UNECA, ESCWA, UCLG and UN-HABITAT has convened to implement a multicounty project, “Fostering COVID-19 recovery and SDG implementation through local action in Asia-Pacific, Arab and African countries.” in Chandragiri, one of the nine municipalities selected globally as pilot cities of the project.

The Project Inception Workshop was organized jointly with Chandragiri municipality that sought active participation of the local leaders, elected representatives, municipal officials and representatives from UN-HABITAT Nepal & Ministry of Urban Development. During the Workshop, an overview of the SDG Localization process, the importance of the VLR process, interlinkages between local and national governments, as well as regional and international processes on SDGs implementation were presented and discussed.

The meeting saw participation of 50 people (16 Women and 34 Men).

Interventions

The Mayor of Chandragiri Municipality, Mr. Ghanshyam Giri, highlighted the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on local communities, which has been particularly hindering to recovery from economic shock in a developing country like Nepal. He emphasized the need for robust data management to guide policy and interventions, highlighting Chandragiri municipality effort to utilize  GIS-based digitization and e-governance to this end. He thanked UN-Habitat for selecting Chandragiri as one of three pilots from the Asia Pacific region, and committed to prepare the Voluntary Local Review, that will be critical to evaluate the gaps and prioritize and direct resources for achieving SDGs.

 Deputy Mayor of the municipality, Ms. Basanti Shrestha committed to support the UN-Habitat Team and facilitate  the successful completion of the VLR of Chandragiri municipality. Meanwhile, the Chief Administrative Officer of Chandragiri, Mr. Hemraj Aryal, assured support to provide the data needed from the municipality and believed that the VLR would set a precedent for future action plans and programs for the sustainable development of the municipality. A representative from the Ministry of Urban Development, Ms. Renuka Bhandari suggested that this initiative taken by UN-Habitat and Chandragiri municipality would set an example for not only municipalities of Nepal, but also be scalable to other municipalities around the world and committed support from the Ministry.

Dr. Pratap Chhatkuli, Team leader of the project, presented the overall concept of SDG localization, the Voluntary Local Review methodology, and shared data on the present conditions derived from the central bureau of statistics and municipality profiles. He then focused on the prioritized goals of SDG 3, 4, 5,6 and 11, and provided a brief overview of current status of each of the goals and the way forward after the workshop in pursuing the preparation of the VLR.

UN-Habitat Program Manager, Ms. Pragya Pradhan, referring to the SDG Summit recently convened in New York, quoted the secretary general underscoring the need for local action and strengthening local government in prioritizing technical collaboration and investment to accelerate actions for achieving SDG targets. She further explained the VLR process as a way to showcase achievements as well as identify where more attention is needed in achieving sustainable development. She stated that coordination of all stakeholders, including public officials, civil society, private sectors and community, is needed for the actualisation of VLR and local action.

UN-Habitat Project coordinator, Mr. Milan Bagale, clarified the next steps after the inception workshop and requested the formation of an advisory committee and working committee for support on the database. Ms. Bhadra Aryal, Officer of the Environment section at the municipality voluteered to facilitae this request and the Mayor, Deputy mayor and Chief Administrative office endorsed the formation of the committee.

The program ended on a positive note with all parties agreeing on joint collaboration for the Voluntary Local Review, formation of a committee as well as provision of a working space for the project consultant in the municipality office. 

Source: https://sdglocalization.org/what-we-do/projects/2030-agenda-sub-fund