Date: 12-13 February 2025
Location: Sauraha, Ratnanagar Municipality, Bagmati Province
Organizer: Ratnanagar Municipality/NPP
Empowering Local Leaders for Inclusive Disaster Management
Nepal’s diverse social context is characterized by ethnic plurality, historical social stratifications, gendered dynamics, linguistic variety, and geographical differences. This complexity not only shapes the nation’s identity but also calls for thoughtful, inclusive policies that respect and leverage its diversity for equitable development and social cohesion. Local government units play a crucial role in promoting inclusivity in disaster risk management (DRM) programs. Strengthening their capacity to implement a rights-based approach is key to reducing vulnerabilities and protecting the rights of all community members, particularly during disasters.
Recognizing this need, the Nepal Preparedness Partnership (NPP) organized a two-day Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Orientation-Training in Sauraha, Ratnanagar Municipality, from February 12 to 13, 2025. The event aimed to empower local leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate GEDSI principles into disaster preparedness and response efforts, ensuring that no one is left behind during times of crisis.
The Need for GEDSI in Disaster Management
Gender roles in Nepal are influenced by traditional norms and cultural expectations, which can vary greatly among different communities and regions. The country’s recent transition from a monarchy to a federal democratic republic has led to significant political and social restructuring. While this change has opened up new avenues for representation and rights, it has also required navigating long-standing social hierarchies and regional disparities.
Nepal’s diverse social landscape, combined with its vulnerability to disasters, calls for an inclusive approach to disaster risk management. Marginalized groups—including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged populations—face disproportionate risks during disasters. The training sought to equip local actors with the knowledge and tools to ensure that disaster risk reduction strategies effectively address these vulnerabilities.
The GEDSI Strategy, developed by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), aligns with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030). It emphasizes inclusive disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, ensuring that marginalized groups have equitable access to relief and rehabilitation efforts.
The event aimed to localize and raise awareness among key local stakeholders, including policymakers, officials, and community leaders, about the Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) approach.
Objectives of the Training
- Provide local officials and community leaders with a clear understanding of GEDSI approaches for Disaster Risk Management (DRM), focusing on inclusion, human rights, and equity.
- Support participants to integrate these principles into all stages of DRM planning, ensuring no one is left behind.
- Facilitate dialogue to include gender, disability, and child-focused perspectives in local DRM strategies.
- Strengthen institutional capacities for implementing inclusive disaster response measures at the local level.
Key Training Highlights
Participants engaged in interactive sessions focusing on:
- Understanding GEDSI in DRM – Exploring the impact of disasters on marginalized groups and the importance of inclusion.
- Legal and Policy Framework – Reviewing Nepal’s DRRM Act, the NDRRMA GEDSI Strategy, and aligning it with international frameworks such as the Sendai Framework.
- Integrating GEDSI in Disaster Planning – Conducting risk assessments, developing localized action plans, and ensuring equitable resource allocation.
- Overcoming Challenges – Addressing budget limitations, institutional capacity gaps, and resistance to policy changes.
- Best Practices and Case Studies – Learning from successful GEDSI integration efforts in disaster-prone communities.
- Action Plan Development – Municipalities drafted localized action plans outlining steps to integrate GEDSI into DRM policies.
Participation and Engagement
The training brought together local government officials, elected representatives, and community leaders from multiple municipalities, ensuring cross-sectoral learning and collaboration
Participants Included:
- Elected ward members and municipal officials
- Disaster risk management (DRM) focal persons
- Community-based organizations (CBOs) and advocacy groups
- Representatives from marginalized communities
- National and municipal-level GEDSI focal persons
Key Discussions and Outcomes
A key component of the training involved collaborative discussions that allowed participants to share insights, local practices, and critically assess the implementation of existing policies. The training was valuable in enhancing GEDSI understanding through presentations by GEDSI/DRRM focal persons, who provided in-depth analyses of current practices, successful approaches, identified gaps, challenges, and recommendations for improvement in their respective municipalities.
Another crucial aspect of the training was the introduction of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority’s (NDRRMA) GEDSI Strategic Action Plan. Discussions around the document contributed to localizing the GEDSI Strategic Action Plan by identifying relevant action points for each municipality, aligning national strategies with local needs, and pinpointing both existing best practices and areas that require further attention.
The outcomes of the deliberations were:
- Develop conceptual clarity and practical understanding of GEDSI in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) plans and programs.
- Improve the ability to integrate GEDSI into DRM planning and activities at the local level.
- Ensure effective localization of the Strategic Action Plan for Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, 2024.
- Empower local governments and communities to protect the rights of vulnerable groups, ensuring that disaster risk management
Participants emphasized the importance of ensuring that disaster response strategies cater to all community members equitably, particularly those most vulnerable. Discussions centered on addressing immediate relief needs, long-term recovery, and ensuring inclusiveness in decision-making. The key takeaway from the training were:
- Ensuring human rights for all through a whole-of-society approach in disaster risk management.
- Guaranteeing equal access, opportunities, and relief support while promoting inclusive decision-making.
- Encouraging meaningful participation of all individuals and groups, ensuring their voices are heard in policy and implementation processes.
- Addressing the differential needs and impacts of various disasters, recognizing that different groups experience crises in unique ways.
Following these discussions, each municipality developed a one-year action plan for the upcoming fiscal year July 2025 – 2026. These plans aim to operationalize the GEDSI approach in DRRM, ensuring that municipalities take concrete steps toward more inclusive, equitable, and effective disaster preparedness and response.
The important activities under these action plans are:
- Conducting risk assessment at municipality level using disaggregated data on vulnerability
- Appointing focal persons for gender equality, disability and social inclusion
- Promoting sustainable alternative livelihood programs to empower vulnerable groups
- Conducting awareness programs on Disaster Risk focusing on the adolescent and lactating mothers
- Training for protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment
- Developing complaint redressal mechanism.
Conclusion
This initiative marks a significant step forward in implementing the GEDSI approach, empowering local communities and fostering inclusive policies that respect and leverage diversity for equitable development and social cohesion. By localizing the GEDSI approach in Disaster Risk Management (DRM), it reinforces Nepal’s commitment to inclusive disaster resilience, ensuring that no community is left behind.
