The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation (KAS) and ICLEI South Asia are jointly exploring opportunities to accelerate the implementation and localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while building the capacities of elected representatives in Nepal. In this regard, Mr. Andreas Michael Klein, Director, Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia, KAS Singapore, and ICLEI South Asia staff held several meetings with representatives from Nepal’s National Planning Commission (NPC), Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and the Municipal Association of Nepal on the 25th of July, 2022.

The delegation invited Nepal’s elected representatives and Kathmandu’s mayor, deputy mayor, chief administrative officer, municipal officials, and engineers as well as the members of MuAN to join the Konrad Adenauer Sharing Political and Civic Engagements Spaces (KASpaces) SDG Ambassador Programme, after being introduced to its initiatives, especially the ones already implemented in Nepal.  ICLEI South Asia also presented copies of Dhulikhel’s Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Report to them. The VLR process in Dhulikhel, which was supported by ICLEI South Asia, helped to formulate a municipal vision statement and strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the city.

In the meeting with Kathmandu Metropolitan City authorities, the city mayor and deputy mayor discussed the local development challenges and highlighted the significance of holistic waste management and sustainable urban development. In Mr. Klein’s meeting with the NPC, Dr. Ram Phuyal, an NPC member, discussed the national planning process and reporting of SDGs to the national steering committee. He also spoke about the importance of training and capacity building of local government officials, the role of an integrated database management system, linkages of sustainability initiatives with the local development plan, and continuous monitoring and reporting with the NPC to update the progress and achievements. ICLEI South Asia told the NPC that it was useful to learn about the distinct needs and priorities of urban and rural municipalities in Nepal and that this knowledge would be taken into consideration during the project design and implementation. Mr. Klein also presented two books published by KAS to the NPC and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, namely “Konrad Adenauer Sharing Political and Civic Engagements Spaces (KASpaces): Accelerating Progress and Equity in Education” and “Women, Policy and Political Leadership Regional Perspectives”.

ICLEI South Asia’s previous engagements with the Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) came up for discussion in a meeting with its president, general secretary, and executive director, especially the good practices in the EU supported project Sunya – Towards Zero Waste and other sustainability initiatives. MuAN’s Executive Director mentioned the importance of smart cities and the role of local governments in achieving national development aspirations and global goals.