Programme launched to strengthen disaster preparedness, response capacity

Kathmandu, May 5

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Nepal (GoN) has launched the SIKAI programme to strengthen disaster preparedness and response capacity in western Nepal.

Through SIKAI - which stands for Strengthening Institutional Knowledge and capacity of provincial and local governments to embark on disaster risk management Action and Implementation - USAID will provide support to provincial and local governments in the Sudurpaschim and Karnali Provinces, the bilateral agency informed in a statement on Friday.

The IOM is implementing the program by providing coordination and technical assistance in close partnership with USAID and ministries of Internal Affairs and Law, Home Affairs, and Federal Affairs and General Administration.

Ambassador of the USA to Nepal, Dean R. Thompson, praised the new programme, and said, "This programme represents the ongoing commitment of the United States to support Nepal in its efforts to prepare for and respond to disasters, from the national to the local level, in line with federal policies, legislation, and frameworks."

USAID's Nepal Mission Director Sepideh Keyvanshad said that SIKAI's focus on Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces, home to some of Nepal's most disaster-vulnerable communities, is illustrative of their commitment to work at the local level, prioritising the most vulnerable populations in Nepal.

Also speaking at the event, IOM Officer-in-Charge, Asif Razzaq, said that the project aims to strengthen disaster risk governance in the two selected provinces as guided by the Constitution and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.

"The project will further contribute to Nepal's efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and to the broader goal of building a resilient nation in the context of changing climate," he said.

The USAID grant for SIKAI is US$ 600,000 and is 18 months in duration.  The new programme builds on the work of USAID and IOM's previous Pariwartan programme (2017-2023), which supported disaster risk reduction and response coordination nationwide, providing resources and training to all 753 local government bodies.  

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 May 2023.