active· Climate· Governance

Cities 4 Women: Inclusive and Climate Resilient Urbanization in Nepal

Cities 4 women aims to create inclusive and climate sustainable urban planning with a particular focus on public spaces and improving the safety of women and marginalised groups. Many Nepalese women experience insecurity in public spaces, making it more difficult for them to study, work and exercise their rights. Although participation, climate sustainability and gender sensitivity are included in the current policy and legislative frameworks in Nepal, they have not been sufficiently integrated into the design and implementation of public spaces. In practice, the development of municipal public infrastructure follows a case-by-case approach and short-term planning. In addition, the capacity to implement municipal engineering units is limited. The project aims to respond to the challenges of climate change and promote the rights of girls and women in a sustainable manner. The project seeks a change that increases the capacity of local governments to respond to the needs of their communities, thus improving their living environments. The project will activate communities, academia, information institutions and political decision-makers to establish best practices and learn from measures promoting long-term solutions. Women, girls and other marginalised groups as well as local municipalities that receive support and resources for their development projects (challenge Fund) benefit directly from the project. Cooperation takes place with UNOPS, UN-habitat and cities Alliance, all of which are experienced partners in the context of Nepal. UNOPS is responsible for the implementation of the project, which ensures expert and efficient project management. Particular attention has been paid to risk management in planning. Finnish special expertise has been planned for the project, for example through the participation of SYKE or Luke, who have extensive experience of Nepal's operating environment while also bringing Finnish added value to the project. Links between rural and urban areas in the Climate change in municipalities project, which will start in December 2024, especially in connection with agricultural value chains, have also been planned for the part of the project funded by Finland. Finland's funding period is 2024/5-2027. Funding of EUR 2 million is proposed, which will help the two new cities to get involved in the project, but will also involve increasing the impact in other municipalities.