Nepal and the United Kingdom Sign Two Important Financial Cooperation Agreements

Today, two separate financial cooperation agreements were signed between the Ministry of Finance of Nepal and the Government of the United Kingdom. The signing ceremony, held at the Ministry of Finance, included the "Resilience, Adaptation, and Inclusion (RAIN) Programme in Nepal" and the "Strengthening Systems for Enhanced Gender and Human Development Outcomes (Saamarth) Programme."

Financial Cooperation:

• RAIN Programme: The UK government will provide a grant of £38.5 million.

• Saamarth Programme: The UK government will provide a grant of £38.8 million.

Signatories:

The agreements were signed by Dhaniram Sharma, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Nepal, and Pippa Bird, Development Director and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Kathmandu, on behalf of the UK government.

Programme Objectives:

• RAIN Programme: Aims to enhance the capacity of local governments and communities in areas affected by climate change, improve human capital development, and service delivery in the Karnali, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces.

  • The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Forests and Environment will work on disaster risk management and climate adaptation.

  • The programme will be implemented in the Lumbini and Madhesh provinces.

• Saamarth Programme: To be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and the Ministry of Health and Population, aims to improve human development outcomes.

  • This programme will be conducted in the Lumbini and Madhesh provinces.

Response from the British Embassy:

Pippa Bird, Development Director and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, expressed the UK's commitment to continuing its support to Nepal in climate change, human capital development, and social services. “We are committed to assisting Nepal in addressing the global challenge of climate change,” she stated.

Expected Outcomes of the Agreements:

• To strengthen Nepal’s ability to face natural disasters and climate change risks, reduce risks, and improve the delivery of essential services.

• To enhance cooperation between Nepal and the UK in health, education, water, sanitation, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction.

This agreement is expected to further strengthen the two-hundred-year-old trusted partnership between Nepal and the United Kingdom.