Minister Chaudhary calls for greater climate justice

Kathmandu, June 30

Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary has called for greater climate justice, increased climate finance and stronger international cooperation to support vulnerable countries affected by climate change.

Addressing the Seventh Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Conference in Bangkok on Tuesday, she said Nepal contributes only a negligible share of global greenhouse gas emissions but continues to face severe impacts and risks from climate change.

“Nepal's status as a least developed, landlocked and high-mountain country makes it particularly vulnerable, despite its contribution to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection that helps regulate the global climate,” the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok quoted Minister Chaudhary as saying in a statement.

The conference, jointly organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), was held in Bangkok from June 29 to 30.

The conference discussed synergies between the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, and integrated action for climate, environment and sustainable development.

Minister Chaudhary stressed the need to place mountain issues at the centre of the global climate agenda, saying the Himalayas, often described as Asia's water reservoir, and their glaciers are vital to the region.

She said coordinated implementation of climate commitments and the SDGs is essential for Nepal to maximise the use of its limited resources. Investments in climate action, she added, should also accelerate progress towards the SDGs and deliver wider development benefits.

Likewise, Minister Chaudhary said that Nepal's third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) have been fully aligned with the SDGs and prepared with the participation of government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector.

According to the Embassy, she appealed to the international community to support their implementation.

Minister Chaudhary also urged developed countries to ensure adequate, predictable, grant-based and easily accessible climate finance and to provide assistance to affected communities through the Loss and Damage Fund.

She further called for improved market access for organic products from least developed, landlocked and mountainous countries, contributing to environmental and biodiversity conservation.

Environment ministers and representatives from Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Fiji and Pakistan, among other countries, participated in the conference.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 July 2026.    

Key SDGs facing slow progress

Kathmandu, Sept. 4

The latest report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has indicated slow progress on key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In its newly-released World Employment and Social Outlook: September 2024 Update, the ILO has found upward pressure on inequality as the labour income share stagnates and a large share of youth remains out of employment, education or training.

The study reveals that the global labour income share, which represents the portion of total income earned by workers, fell by 0.6 percentage points from 2019 to 2022 and has since remained flat – compounding a long-running downward trend. If the share had remained at the same level as in 2004, labour income would be larger by US$2.4 trillion in 2024 alone.

A statement issued by the ILO headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday maintained that the study highlights the COVID-19 pandemic as a key driver of this decline, with nearly 40 per cent of the reduction in the labour income share occurring during the pandemic years of 2020-2022.

The crisis exacerbated existing inequalities, particularly as capital income continues to concentrate among the wealthiest, undermining progress towards SDG 10, which aims to reduce inequality within and among countries.

"Technological advances, including automation, have played a role in this trend. While these innovations have boosted productivity and output, the evidence suggests that workers are not sharing equitably from the resulting gains," read the report.

The report warns that without comprehensive policies to ensure that the benefits of technological progress are broadly shared, recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence could deepen inequality, putting the achievement of the SDGs at risk.

"Countries must take action to counter the risk of declining labour income share. We need policies that promote an equitable distribution of economic benefits, including freedom of association, collective bargaining and effective labour administration, to achieve inclusive growth, and build a path to sustainable development for all," said Celeste Drake, ILO Deputy Director-General.

Drawing on the ILO’s recently published Global Employment Trends for Youth (GET Youth), the study also identifies the large share of youth outside employment, education and training as a persistent area of concern. As GET Youth showed, the global rate of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) registered only a modest decline from 21.3 per cent in 2015 to 20.4 per cent in 2024 and is projected to remain flat for the next two years. The female NEET rate – which stood at 28.2 per cent in 2024 – is more than double that faced by young men, jeopardizing SDG 8.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 5 September 2024.        

It might take additional 32 years to achieve SDGs: ESCAP

Kathmandu, Feb. 15

Progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains uneven and inadequate across various segments of the population and within the five subregions of Asia and the Pacific. According to a new report published by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on Thursday, gender and location remain key factors in determining levels of poverty and inequality in the region.

The report noted that at its current pace, the region will not achieve all 17 SDGs before 2062 – marking a significant 32-year delay. While positive steps have been taken toward eliminating poverty (Goal 1) and bolstering sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure (Goal 9) in the region, progress in other critical areas has been more modest. Efforts towards mitigating hunger (Goal 2), enhancing health and well-being (Goal 3), ensuring the availability of clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), expanding affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and building sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11) have been less pronounced and require heightened attention.

According to the report, Nepal's progress up to now is below the target in most of the goals.

Nepal has seen some progress in areas such as sustainable urban expansion and spatial data generation. However, there are areas where Nepal is experiencing slow progress and regression, particularly in achieving food security and combating undernourishment (Goal 2) and reducing inequalities within and among countries (Goal 10).

The report underscores the importance of addressing these challenges and customising strategies to address specific issues in Nepal. Despite improvements in data collection, significant data gaps still exist, concludes the report.

Gender equality (Goal 5) and peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16) continue to have the least available data. This report assesses Nepal’s SDG progress at the global level indicators; and we should be careful interpreting this report in relation to the SDG Report of the Government of Nepal that uses nationalized indicators to assess the SDG progress.

The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2024 takes a closer look at groups that may be disadvantaged, focusing on how sex, urbanisation, education level, age and income contribute to existing disparities and sometimes exacerbate them.

Despite overall progress in school enrolment rates, women and girls in the region continue to face considerable challenges when it comes to accessing education and employment opportunities. They have lower enrolment rates and struggle with literacy. Young women also encounter difficulties accessing labour markets, leading to higher rates of youth unemployment. Meanwhile, the challenges faced by men tend to be related to their health or personal safety. They suffer from higher rates of suicide, chronic diseases and road traffic deaths.

 “While additional efforts are required across the board, granular data emphasises the urgency of addressing inequalities that impact marginalised groups, including women, girls, rural populations and the urban poor, who continue to find themselves locked out of education and employment opportunities,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.

She added that the sustained progress gap revealed between countries in special situations, especially Pacific Small Island Developing States, and the rest of the region demands a concerted response from international, regional and national partners.

"People living in rural areas face pronounced disadvantages, such as limited access to basic drinking water and sanitation facilities. Additionally, the lower availability of clean cooking fuels in these areas contributes to serious respiratory diseases," read the report. In general, urban areas exhibit better conditions, yet paradoxically, within these areas, the poorest boys and girls face significant hurdles in completing upper secondary education.

On a more encouraging note, the report shares several laudable national success stories in supporting at-risk population groups. In the Philippines, dedicated research and analysis aimed at estimating the cost of supporting children living with a disability played a pivotal role in influencing recent legislation to provide a disability allowance, extending support to children with disabilities.

Nationwide digital training programmes in Viet Nam have underscored the value of public-private partnerships in accelerating digital transformation and bridging the skills and employment gap for youth and migrant workers. Meanwhile, in North and Central Asia, national statistical systems in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have been upgraded to better support stateless populations.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 16 February 2024.       

Nepal, UN reach agreement on sustainable dev priorities

 Kathmandu, Jan. 18

The Government of Nepal and the United Nations in Nepal have agreed on the priorities for the coming year for the four outcomes under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027.

The agreement was made at the first annual meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the Nepal UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 jointly organised by the government and the UN in Nepal in Lalitpur on Thursday.

The four outcome areas are sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economic transformation; inclusive and transformative human development; environment sustainability, climate and disaster resilience; and governance, federalism, participation, and inclusion. 

Nepal had adopted the UNSDCF 2023-2027 in 2023.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, and UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal Hanaa Singer Hamdy.

Speaking at the meeting, the Vice Chairman stated that Nepal looks forward to graduating from the LDC status in 2026 and implementing the 16^th Plan.

"In this context, Nepal seeks scalable, transformative, and impactful support of the UN to create more employment opportunities, boost productivity, and productive capacity, promote sustainable use of natural resources, fortify the data management system for evidence-based policymaking, and enhance access to quality education and health facilities," he said.

"The Joint Steering Committee provides strategic oversight of the development and implementation of the Cooperation Framework, to ensure strong co-ownership and alignment with national priorities as outlined in the upcoming 16^th National Plan and guided by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," read a joint statement issued by the NPC and UN in Nepal.

Likewise, Hamdy stated that the Cooperation Framework is the centrepiece for the implementation of the UN Development System reform at the country level. It articulates how the UN is supporting the people and Government of Nepal in achieving its development goals.

The meeting was attended by government representatives and UN Country Team members. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 January 2024.   

Consultations to prepare SDG review report begin

 Kathmandu, Jan. 16

Nepal is gearing up for the third 'Voluntary National Review' (VNR) report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a plan to complete it by the end of the current Fiscal Year 2023/24 (mid-July 2024) and present it at the meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) of the United Nations.

Earlier, Nepal had conducted the review of the Agenda 2030 in 2017 and 2020. The SDGs are in implementation since 2015 with a deadline of 2030 to achieve 17 goals and 248 indicators in social, economic and development sectors.

To prepare the new VNR report, the National Planning Commission (NPC) has begun consultations with the stakeholders and experts. It held a review workshop in Kathmandu on Tuesday to solicit suggestions on the progress and status of the SDGs implementation as well as the future course that the country should adopt for the effective execution of the goals.

Speaking at the workshop, Vice-Chairman of the NPC, Dr. Minn Bahadur Shrestha, said that the workshop was organised to review the work and results of Nepal in achieving sustainable development goals, good practices of other countries, coordination and cooperation with various agencies and stakeholders, and to receive suggestions.

According to a statement issued by the NPC, Dr. Shrestha said that Nepal is fully committed to achieving the sustainable development goals and all the three levels of the government: federal, provincial and local, are playing an effective role to achieve the set goals.

"SDGs have been localised. The periodical plan, medium-term expenditure structure and annual policy and programmes and budget have covered issues related to the SDGs with priority. Monitoring and evaluation of plans and programmes related to the achievement of those goals has been done in an effective manner," he said.

The upcoming 16^th Periodic Plan, which is being prepared and come into effect from the next FY 2024/25, is also being drafted along with an action plan with the goal of facilitating the country in upgrading from the Least Developed Country (LDC) and achieving SDGs by the year 2030. The Sustainable Development Implementation and Monitoring Committee under the coordination of the Vice-Chairman of the NPC is working to prepare the third VNR on sustainable development.

The NPC's Financial Management Division is working as a secretariat for the VNR.

Likewise, speaking at the workshop, Hanna Singer-Hamdy, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, appreciated Nepal's performance in achieving the SDGs, and said that efforts should be made for more progressive results.

"Nepal's progress in achieving the SDGs is commendable and is better compared to some other countries around the globe. However, in order to achieve the goals within the specified time, it is necessary to make more efforts together with all parties and sectors," she said.

According to her, Nepal should be more responsible for the SDGs and upgrading to the 'developing country' status since it is the current chair of the groups of LDCs.

Nepal has prepared and implemented the 'Sustainable Development Goals for Nepal 2016-30 Roadmap' following the announcement of the SDGs in 2015 by the UN. The country has reviewed the achievement of the SDGs in 2022 and determined the current situation and future roadmap for the goals.

The country has also developed SDGs Needs Assessment, Costing and Financing Strategy, and SDGs Localization Guidelines that spell out baselines, targets and implementation and financing strategies for each SDG.

According to the NPC, Nepal has so far achieved about 43 per cent progress in achieving sustainable development goals in the seven and half years since the SDGs were put into implementation.

The 2020 VNR of Nepal has maintained that the SDGs have been well-integrated into Nepal’s national development frameworks. It stated that the assessment of the SDGs implementation over the last four years (2015-2019) exhibits some encouraging results.

The workshop was attended by representatives of all relevant ministries, Nepal Rastra Bank, Policy and Planning Commission of all provinces, National Association of Rural Municipalities of Nepal, Municipality Association of Nepal, private sector bodies, governmental and non-governmental organisations, cooperative sector, and other concerned bodies.

According to the UN, the VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes challenges and lesson learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. They also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and mobilise multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the SDGs. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 17 January 2024.   

Nepal makes 42% progress in SDGs

Kathmandu, Oct. 10

Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, stated that Nepal needs to accelerate its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. As of the halfway point, the country has made approximately 42 per cent progress.

"Reflecting on the status of the SDGs, the midterm progress towards all 17 goals, at both the national and universal scales, falls behind the targets," he remarked while addressing the inaugural session of the seventh South and South-West Asia Subregional Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

The two-day forum is jointly hosted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) for South and South-West Asia, co-hosted by the NPC in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator and the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Dr. Phuyal emphasised Nepal's full commitment to achieving the SDGs and incorporating them into all three tiers of government. He also mentioned that the country has conducted an SDG localisation programme at all local government levels.

He explained that medium-term expenditure frameworks, annual budgets, and sectorial strategies are aligned with the SDGs, supported by planning, monitoring, and evaluation guidelines.

Dr. Phuyal also informed delegates from the region that Nepal's development strategy includes human capital development, the retention of returning migrant workers through domestic employment opportunities, and innovative utilisation of remittances. He mentioned that the service sector, National Data Profile, and IT sectors are set to receive increased attention.

"We have identified key areas that have the potential to catalyse economic transformation, leading us toward SDG attainment and irreversible graduation from LDC status. Our focus is on enhancing production, productivity, and competitiveness within our economy, generating skilled human capital, and creating decent work and productive employment opportunities," he emphasised.

Chandra Prasad Dhakal, President of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed the vital role of the private sector in achieving the SDGs. He emphasised the need for collaboration and innovation among the government, private sector, and other development partners.

Dhakal mentioned that the private sector not only contributes financially but also drives economic growth, job creation, and technological progress. "The private sector plays a special role in job creation, investment in healthcare and education, promoting gender equality, developing infrastructure, mitigating climate change, and protecting the environment," he stated.

Dhakal highlighted the importance of public-private cooperation and international collaboration in addressing global challenges.

Hana Singer, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, emphasised the importance of sharing lessons learned during the development and implementation of programmes aimed at achieving the SDGs.

Likewise, Irusha Coorey, Director of the SAARC Secretariat, pointed out that food security is a serious concern in South Asia. She mentioned that the region faces multiple climate hazards, but reporting systems are inadequate. She also noted that one-third of unregistered children are in South Asia.

The Forum will continue until Wednesday and will focus on various issues related to the SDGs.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 11 October 2023. 

Achievements made in SDGs not encouraging: NPC

Kathmandu, Aug. 16

The National Planning Commission (NPC) has said that Nepal needs to accelerate the process and progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the current achievement is not encouraging.

"Current progress will allow us to have around 60 per cent of the overall SDGs, according to the rough estimates," the NPC officials said at the 'SDG Acceleration Visioning Workshop' jointly organised by the planning body and the United Nations in Nepal.

So far, Nepal has updated the evaluations of 151 of 301 total SDG indicators.

Nepal's estimated growth for FY 2023-24 is 2.16 per cent; and unmet revenue targets pose challenges to financing development, including the SDGs, which are crucial considering the funding implications of LDC graduation.

However, a joint statement issued by the two agencies said that Nepal has fared better compared to the global average of only 12 per cent by the halfway of the adoption of the SDGs in 2015.

"There are encouraging signs. Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the country met the criteria for the third time for graduation from the LDC status and is set to graduate by 2026. Poverty and maternal mortality ratios have declined significantly," read the statement.

Meanwhile, Nepal has made significant progress on birth registration and certification, school enrolment and completion, life expectancy, and women’s political representation.

Despite such progress, the country still faces the challenges induced by the impacts of COVID-19, the economic impacts of the Ukraine war, and geopolitical dynamics, read the statement.

The workshop was organised ahead of the SDG Summit in September this year and reviewed the status of the SDG progress in Nepal and identified priority areas for SDG acceleration and outline a roadmap for strategic actions.

It also decided to launch a nationwide campaign on SDGs to mobilise multi-stakeholders, including provincial and local governments, the private sector, civil society, and development partners to ramp up efforts to accelerate progress on SDGs.

“The Government of Nepal is passionately internalising the SDGs through the current 15^th plan and its regular programmes and policies. Nepal has identified key areas that hold the potential to catalyse economic transformation, leading us towards SDG attainment and irreversible graduation from the LDC status," said Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice Chairman of the NPC.

According to him, the focus of the NPC is on enhancing production and productivity within the economy, generating skilled human capital, and creating inclusive employment opportunities including a robust emphasis on quality education, accessible healthcare systems, sound infrastructure, responsible urbanisation, social empowerment, inclusivity, social security, increased capital expenditure, biodiversity preservation, and effective governance.

A statement issued by the organisers of the event stated that for the first time in decades, development progress is reversing under the combined impacts of climate disasters, geopolitical tension, global economic slowdown, and lingering COVID-19 effects globally.

Achieving just 12 per cent global progress at halftime towards the deadline of 2030 means that people and the planet are in deep crisis, and hence, a renewed commitment to the SDGs is more needed now than ever before.

Secretary of the NPC, Dr. Toya Narayan Gyawali, said that Nepal needed a robust monitoring and evaluation system to measure the progress made in meeting the SDGs.

According to him, Nepal has a challenge to meet the resource gap to implement the SDGs.

Nepal also faces the challenges like scarce domestic challenges, poor database, lack of localisation of SDGs, poor partnership and coordination among stakeholders, and poor capacity of the key agencies.

Speaking at the workshop, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Hanaa Singer Hamdy said that the SDG progress was not about lines on a graph but about healthy mothers and babies; children learning the skills to fulfil their potential; and parents who could feed their families. 

"It is about a world in which everyone enjoys human rights and human dignity. The road ahead to achieve the SDGs globally and in Nepal is still a bit steep. But it is one we can, must and will achieve- together – and for the people we serve from all parts of this country," she said

The National Vision for SDG Acceleration that will be prepared through a consultative process based on the outline coming from this workshop will be presented to the global leaders as Nepal's commitment at the 2023 SDG Summit being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September18-19.

The summit will reaffirm the collective commitments of the world leaders to the Goals and the promise to leave no one behind. This Summit is a defining moment to urgently put the world back on track to achieving the SDGs.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 17 August 2023.   

New plan to focus on LDC graduation, middle-income

Kathmandu, June 27

The National Planning Commission (NPC) has said that the upcoming 16^th periodic plan (Fiscal Year 2024/25 to 2029/30) would include methods and strategies to smooth the transition to the developing nation status and meet the middle-income criteria.

The country is graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status to a 'developing' one on  November 24, 2026 by meeting the human assets, and economic and environmental vulnerabilities without meeting the criterion of per capita income at the time the United Nations took the decision on the graduation of Nepal, Bangladesh and Laos. However, this year the PCI of a Nepali is projected to reach the average of US$1,399 against the graduation requirement of $1,222.

Nepal is graduating from the LDC club 55 years after it was included in it.

As per the target of the government, Nepal needs to increase the PCI to about US$4,000 by 2030 to be a middle-income country which seems unlikely given the current rate of economic and per capita growth.

Meanwhile, the country also needs to make sure that it achieves the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

"Therefore, the orientation of the planning for the next five years would be to achieve these development targets," Vice-Chairman of the NPC, Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, said at an interaction with journalists at his office on Tuesday.

He said that achieving the SDGs or maintaining the current trade and business scenario after graduation would ensure that the development dividends would reach all the people.

Meanwhile, the planning body has also developed a strategy for the smooth LDC transition of the country.

According to Dr. Shrestha, the NPC has identified the structural challenges to the planning, process and implementation of the development projects. He also said that there are challenges to find out suitable strategies and frameworks to resolve the prevailing crisis.

The upcoming plan will exclusively include the approaches for the wise use of natural resources like forests, stones and pebbles so that it would support employment generation, development and economic growth.

However, the new plan is being formulated at a time when the national economic scenario is not so encouraging with the poor prediction of economic growth of just 1.6 per cent for the current year, negative growth in three economic pillars – manufacturing, construction and trading, and external pressures on price due to Russian invasion of Ukraine, and disturbance in the supply chain since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Yet, we must not forget that there could be positive results as demonstrated during the period of 14^th plan. We achieved above 7 per cent growth on an average, and good results were achieved in social, health and education sectors in the past one or two decades," said Dr. Shrestha.

The NPC has begun soliciting suggestions from the experts and stakeholders on the upcoming 16^th plan since last week. This discussion would run for the next about eight months.

A steering committee, five thematic committees and many technical committees are active in the plan formulation process.

Secretary of the NPC, Dr. Toya Narayan Gyawali, said that the new plan will also offer some pragmatic strategies to promote livelihood, promote export and reduce the ever-growing trade deficit.

Likewise, Suman Dahal, Joint Secretary at the NPC, said that the constitution of the country, national and sectorial policies, the 15^th plan and its review, LDC graduation strategy, SDGs and mid-term expenditure review would be the basis for the 16^th plan.

He said that the ideas generated during the mid-term review of the current periodic plan would be immensely helpful in the process.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 June 2023.

FNCCI seeks UN assistance to boost industry, economy

Kathmandu, May 25

President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Chandra Prasad Dhakal, has sought the support of development partners in formulating the strategy in managing the current economic crisis, creating an investment-friendly environment, developing skilled manpower and creating more jobs.

He proposed a deeper cooperation between the business community and development partners during a meeting with Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal, at the FNCCI secretariat on Thursday.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and cooperation in minimising the impact of Nepal's graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on business were the key agenda of discussion. There was also a discussion for capacity enhancement of small and medium enterprises, production of skilled manpower, cooperation with the private sector and the government.

Dhakal stated that the FNCCI could be a close partner of the government and the UN in achieving sustainable development goals because it has a strong network throughout the nation and a structure that can reach the grassroots level.

On the occasion, Singer-Hamdy said that she took the issues raised by the president of FNCCI very seriously.

She said that the SDGs and upgrading LDCs are a matter of special interest. She said that the private sector, government and the United Nations can cooperate while preparing a strategy to facilitate the graduation. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 26 May 2023. 

Pandemic threatens reversing the development progress

Lalitpur, Feb. 7

The COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the positive trends in ending poverty, health, education and economic growth, according to the National Planning Commission.

In its Sustainable Development Goals: Progress assessment report 2016-2019, the planning body said that the pandemic has the potential of reversing the progress made in most of the SDGs – the 2030 agenda of development.

"The pandemic has the potential of not only delaying but effectively reversing the positive trends in most SDGs particularly ending poverty, zero hunger, healthy lives, quality education, decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities and partnership for sustainable development," concluded the NPC report. There are 17 SDGs to be achieved by 2030.

The report was jointly launched by Vice Chairman of the NPC Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kandel and member of the National Assembly Dr. Bimala Rai Poudel at a programme in Lalitpur on Sunday.

Although the report talked about the situation before the coronavirus scenario, it significantly noted that there had been enormous consequences for livelihoods, mobility, infrastructure and essential services. "It is therefore essential to realign strategies for the attainment of SDGs and fine-tune targets to reflect the new normal," it said.

However, Dr. Kandel said that the impact of the pandemic was moderate on the economy and development as the economic activities had taken up better than expected. He stated that the NPC was devising a rehabilitation strategy to revive the economy in the post pandemic scenario.

But real challenge to the implementation of the SDGs and monitoring is data gap. "A big constraint to the development is weak statistical base. We do not have better data-set of the sub-national governments," said Khomraj Koirala, Joint secretary at the NPC.

According to the report, a total of 169 targets and 479 indicators were adapted in Nepal to monitor the SDG progress but data are available for only 104 targets and 218 indicators which means that there is no information available for 35 per cent of the targets and 55 per cent of the indicators.

Required data is also not available for the important parameters on water quality, water use efficiency and protection of water-related ecosystems, youth employment and underemployment, and urban infrastructure and green spaces.

"The data gap that exists is significant and may even be indicative of the fact that the initial enthusiasm with respect to the national commitment to their integration in the process of planning and development has given away to quiet complacency in implementation," read the report.

Dr. Kandel pointed out the immediate need to create a robust statistical base for the effective integration of the SDGs into the development even at the sub-national levels.

However, the report portrayed a mixed situation on SDGs progress in the first three years of implementation (2016-2019).

There has been a steady decline in levels of poverty nationwide, although regional and ethnic differences continue to exist. Population living below US$1.9  a day is 15 per cent, noted the report.

Although there has been progress in school enrolment at the primary level with 97.2 per cent and ratio of girls to boys and primary completion rate is 89.5 per cent, the achievements are below the expectations.

Likewise, only 21 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water although basic water supply coverage is 88 per cent. However, there was a significant progress in sanitation with 85 per cent of the population using toilets.

The report said that the share of squatter population remains low and households living in safe houses have improved.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 February 2021. 

Resources should be diverted to SDGs from nuclear weapons: FM Gyawali

Kathmandu, Oct. 3

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has stressed that financial resources spent on nuclear weapons should be diverted to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the overall security and wellbeing of humanity at large.

In his pre-recorded video address to the ‘High-level Meeting to Commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons’ the other day, he said the world would never be a safer place as long as the specter of nuclear weapons loomed large.

Referring to the devastation caused by the current pandemic, he cautioned that nuclear explosion - whether accidental or intentional – could claim more lives within a wink of an eye.

“The scientific race for vaccines has kept our hope alive to win the war against COVID-19. But no vaccine will save us from the nuclear catastrophe,” he said, according to a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.

FM Gyawali reiterated Nepal’s call for a time-bound, general, and complete disarmament of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

He stated that nuclear technology should be harnessed for peaceful purposes of promoting healthcare, increasing agricultural productivity, and saving lives. He described peaceful use of nuclear energy and the complete disarmament as the two sides of the same coin.

The event was held on the margins of the 75^th Session of United Nations General Assembly and featured a total of 110 speakers including 15 heads of state/government and 64 ministers.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily 4 October 2020. 

Nepal presents VNR on development at HLPE

Kathmandu, Jul 14

Nepal on Monday presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) report on Sustainable Development at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The forum was organised in a virtual platform because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vice chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Puspa Raj Kadel presented VNR report as the leader of Nepali delegation.

He underscored the need for further accelerating economic pillar of sustainable development while ensuring social justice and environmental resilience, said the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in a statement.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on economic growth and other socio-economic sectors. It is also in this context that there is a need for scaled-up financing, multi-stakeholder partnership and global cooperation,” he said.

Dr. Kadel had presented an overview of Nepal’s experience in mainstreaming and implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all levels of the government.

While highlighting the legal, policy and institutional frameworks that underpin the aspiration of ‘leaving no one behind’, he updated the forum about Nepal’s achievements and plans across different goals and targets.

The HLPF is the central UN platform that provides political leadership, guidance, and recommendations for the effective implementation, follow-up, and review of the 2030 Agenda.

VNR is a mechanism through which the Member States showcase their progress made in implementing SDGs, as well as the gaps and challenges facing them, informed the NPC.

 Nepal’s first VNR was presented in 2017 HLPF. Nepal is among the 47 countries presenting their VNRs this year.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 15 July 2020. 

Govt should not compete with the private sector: FM

Kathmandu, Sept. 11

The government cannot and should not compete with the private sector, Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada said on Wednesday. 

"It is only the private sector that we are bringing into infrastructure development. The government wants greater cooperation with the private businesses in this sector," he said while addressing the Nepal Infrastructure Summit 2019 that started on Wednesday in the capital. 

"I invite the private sector to infrastructure development. Due to social and political liabilities the government is facing finance gap," he added. 

Dr. Khatiwada said that the government had to pay attention to 30 plus fundamental rights for citizens, as mentioned in the Constitution, most of which were related to social sectors, including job, water, education and environment. 

At the same time, there is an immediate fiscal gap in the newly implemented federal structure, he added.  

Likewise, 55 - 60 per cent investment of the whole Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is in infrastructure like physical, industrial, energy, urban development and water. 

"We can trust the private sector in developing hydroelectricity and transmission projects which is the job of the government so far. It will create a win-win situation for both the public and private sectors," said Dr. Khatiwada. 

He urged the foreign investors to invest in Nepal as the country had secure investment and environment with high return. "Any international company that invested in Nepal has not earned less than 25 per cent return which is higher than any other market around the globe," he said. 

With policy improvements, process simplification in registering business and repatriation, Nepal has become even better destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), said Dr. Khatiwada. The government has recently launched one-stop service centre for the investors and announced policy for hedge funds to share the risks with the private sector. 

He also announced that the government was liberalising country's foreign exchange market.

The Finance Minister suggested the private sector to develop long-term instrument to collect and mobilise resources in order to manage funds for the large infrastructure projects. 

Krishna Prasad Acharya, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Nepal (ICAN), said that the infrastructure project development was not transparent in Nepal. "Decision making and procurement process are not transparent in this sector," he said.  

According to him, financial institutions must increase their debt risk capability and should take a right decision in order to make them competent in infrastructure financing.  

Korean Prof. Tae Yong Jung suggested the government and private sector comparing their financial status with the immediate competitors and improving the condition accordingly. 

"Investors are smart and greedy animals who are seeking profits. But why should they bother to come to Kathmandu instead of New Delhi, Dhaka or any other competitive markets around world?" he said. 

Compare your financial status with the immediate competitors and improve your condition, he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 12 September 2019. 

NPC projects $3,000 per capita income by 2030

Kathmandu, June 22

The National Planning Commission (NPC) has projected that the Per Capita Income (PCI) of a Nepali citizen will reach US$ 3,222 (at the current exchange rate) before 2030, the year when the country will be a middle income country from the developing one.

In its 'Needs assessment, costing and financing strategy for Nepal's Sustainable Development Goals', the planning body has estimated that the PCI will meet the per year average of Rs. 370,557 ($3,222) in the period of 2026-30.

Nepal's PCI in the current Fiscal Year 2018/19 is estimated at US$1,032 while it was $998 last year.

The country is currently a low-income economy as per the World Bank definition ($995 or less PCI). The multilateral donor identifies the countries with $996 to 3,895 PCI as the lower-middle-income economies.

Earlier, Nepal had made an aim to achieve $3,000 PCI by 2030.

According to the NPC, the PCI will be Rs. 149,280 on an average from 2020-22 and Rs. 218,084 from 2013-25.

Likewise, the household income will reach the average of Rs. 1.48 million per annum in 2026-30 of which about 8.9 per cent is expected to finance the SDG investment requirement.

"More affluent households are expected to contribute to financing poverty through a contributory social protection system, paying for recurrent or operation-and-maintenance cost for public utilities and services designed for addressing the poverty," read the report.

It said that the overall households are expected to contribute about 11 per cent of their PCI in financing SDG investment through the out-of-pocket expenses.

"This expense is affordable and does not restraining access to basic services, especially for the poor. This estimation is in line with the global PCI out-of-pocket spending expected during the implementation of period," said the NPC.

However, it said that although the affluent households could bear some of the intervention costs, it has made clear that user fees should not be plugged in to contribute to cost of universal social services such as primary school education, adult literacy programmes, improving gender equality, basic health care, nutritional interventions, and transport infrastructure.

Over the 15 years of SDG implementation period the public sector is expected to contribute about 55 per cent of the total SDG investment requirement, Rs. 30,375 billion, with the highest proportion going for poverty alleviation sector followed by agriculture, health, education, gender, water and sanitation, transport infrastructure, climate actions and governance improvement.

Likewise, the private sector is expected to finance 36.6 per cent, cooperatives and non-government organisations 4.3 per cent and household 4.4 per cent of the total investment required.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 June 2019. 

Rs. 30.37 trillion needed to achieve SDGs

Kathmandu, June 21

The National Planning Commission (NPC) has estimated an investment of Rs. 30,375 billion for the programmes and projects to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2016-2030.

The apex planning body in the country has divided the 15 years of SDGs implementation in four parts and made separate annual investment estimations.

For the first part, 2016-19, a total of Rs. 4,220 billion is estimated. Likewise, Rs. 4,677 billion is projected for 2020-22, Rs. 6,108 billion for 2023-25, and Rs. 15,325 billion for 2026-30 period.

According to the NPC, annual average budget for the SDGs period is Rs. 2,025 billion.

The average expenditure for the first part from 2016 to 2019 is about 33 per cent of the current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The economy of the country in 2018/19 is estimated to be at Rs. 3,464 billion and is expected to achieve 8.5 per cent growth in the next fiscal year 2019/20.

Nepal aims at graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2022 and be a middle-income country by 2030. The government has given priority to the development of tourism and infrastructure like roads, railways and energy, and modernisation of agriculture to achieve the higher growth targets in the years to come.

Total investment in SDGs (Rs. in billion)   

Year	2016-19	2020-22	2023-25	2026-30	2016-30 Average
Investment (Annual average)	1,055	1,559	2,036	3,065	2,025
Total	4,220	4,677	6,108	15,325	30,375

Source: NPC

Joint Secretary of the NPC Khom Raj Koirala said that the planning body had made separate estimation for the public, private, cooperative, non-government and household sector investment required for the SDGs.

The public sector needs to invest about Rs. 1,111.3 billion per annum for the SDG implementation period while the private sector needs to mobilise resources worth Rs. 739 billion, cooperatives and non-government organisations (NGOs) Rs. 86.3 billion, and household sector Rs. 88 billion annually.

However, there is a resource gap of Rs. 585 billion per annum, about 12 per cent as per the size of current GDP.

"Therefore, we need to create effective public and private partnership to implement the programmes effectively and meet the resource gaps," said Koirala.

According to him, the government will create partnership with the provinces and local bodies, private sector, cooperatives, community, civil society and NGOs, International Development Partners (IDPs), and regional cooperation organisations and will promote south-south cooperation.

The NPC has identified the wise distribution and transfer of resources, prioritisation of resource mobilisation and utilisation, public private and cooperatives partnership, and internalisation and ownership at all level as the major challenges in executing the SDGs investment.

Secretary at the NPC Laxman Aryal said that the macroeconomic policy of the country should be changed in order to increase the domestic public finance, use the fiscal space such as domestic borrowing and the ODA.

He also pointed towards the need of formalising the informal economy.

"Our informal economy is still large, and policies are needed to make it formal. If we failed to formalise the informal economy, our financing model may not work effectively," he said.

He said that the ODA should be diverted to the productive areas, however, the country's operational capacity and modality might affect its effective realisation.

He also said that the FDI needed to be raised to 5 per cent of the GDP from current about 1 per cent.

Vice Chairman of the NPC Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kandel said that the SDGs were devised to lift the living standards of people.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 June 2019.