Senior officials of Nepal’s Dhulikhel municipality, including the Hon’ble Mayor, chief administrative officer, and ward chairpersons, attended an orientation meeting on February 8, 2024, on the Climate and Development Knowledge Network’s (CDKN) Accelerating Inclusive Climate Action programme.

The objectives of the programme and its activity plan were shared with the participants. Dhulikhel municipality will receive technical support from ICLEI South Asia in the preparation of a gender- and socially-inclusive Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA) and in executing a pilot project focusing on the interventions outlined in the LAPA under the Knowledge-to-Action Fund. The attendees of the orientation meeting were informed about the necessity for active engagement by the municipal authorities and local stakeholders through shared learning events for the formulation of the LAPA, as well as that the project would support capacity building of the municipality through tailored training and peer learning events to enhance understanding and skills in climate-resilient planning and implementation.

The project will also support the municipality in joint financing and implementation of a pilot project, with a priority focus on gender equality, disability and social inclusion, locally-led adaptation, and ecosystem-based adaptation.

It was agreed that the seven-member steering committee established in the planning stages of the city’s Voluntary Local Review (VLR) would be designated as the climate core team responsible for the development of the LAPA.

The collaborative efforts between ICLEI South Asia, which hosts CDKN Asia, and the municipal stakeholders are poised to strengthen the city’s preparedness in combatting climate change challenges, with a strong focus on inclusivity.