The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), in partnership with UN-Habitat, UNOPS, and Cities Alliance, organized a half-day working session to refine the Gender-Responsive and Climate-Resilient Urban Development Framework and Step-by-Step Municipal Urban Planning Guideline on December 10, 2024. This event, conducted under the Cities 4 Women project funded by the European Union (EU) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), brought together 30 stakeholders from various line ministries and municipalities. The primary objective was to gather feedback and suggestions to refine the drafts of these two documents before testing and rolling them out at different local levels.

Preceding the discussions, a team of experts presented the draft report of both documents, emphasizing key provisions, followed by an interactive group discussion. The organized group discussions generated constructive feedback and specific comments. As a general observation, participants stated they would have liked to be consulted earlier and more often. Mr. Kamal Adhikari, Senior Sociologist at MoUD, highlighted the need for a simplified version of the framework to facilitate easier implementation at the municipal level.

Additionally, Om Bahadur Adhikari, Under Secretary from the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation (MoLMCPA), emphasized aligning the framework with the Land Use Act 2019 and suggested developing a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) checklist for feasibility studies.

Participants also stressed the importance of a clear implementation strategy. Prof. Dr. Ajaya Chandra Lal from IOE recommended incorporating specific provisions addressing the implementation strategy of the framework and guideline. Ms. Bhadra Aryal, Senior Officer and focal person for the Cities for Women project in Chandragiri Municipality, suggested linking the guidelines with government frameworks such as Public Financial Management and Fiduciary Risk Assessment. She also proposed the inclusion of accountability measures under the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning (MERL) section and the establishment of advisory committees involving the ward chairperson of each ward.

The event further highlighted the need for inter-agency coordination, with experts highlighting the importance of fostering collaboration to ensure effective implementation. Mr. Padma Kumar Mainali from MoUD pointed out that municipalities need a checklist to guide the initial testing and implementation of the documents. He also noted challenges related to the endorsement of the framework, suggesting that either legal tools or executive approvals could address these hurdles.

UN-Habitat's Habitat Programme Manager, Ms. Pragya Pradhan, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting local-level testing of the framework in 2025. She emphasized the importance of developing the capacity of local representatives and fostering a sense of ownership among local and national stakeholders. These efforts aim to integrate the framework into Nepal’s urban planning processes while addressing critical sectoral issues and socio-economic needs.

The discussion concluded with a vote of thanks from Mr. Mainali, who expressed gratitude for the participants’ valuable feedback. Moving forward, MoUD plans to incorporate the suggestions into the final versions of the guideline and framework, ensuring their alignment with Nepal’s urban development goals and the diverse needs of its communities.