Training for Women's Rights and Environment Justice Groups on Municipal Level Participatory Planning and Budgeting Process

PRC organized training on municipal level participatory planning and budgeting from 20 to 22 May 2019 at TEWA Centre, Lalitpur with the objective of familiarizing participants with the planning cycle and budget preparation process at Ward and municipality levels, functioning of LG level executives including the provision of six sectoral committees and space of CSOs in local government. A total of 25 women representatives from 10 grassroots organizations working in gender and environmental issues in their respective municipalities participated in the training.

The three- day training was composed of sessions on environmental issues in Nepal; introduction to climate change and its impact in Nepal; gender and climate change; SDGs; environmental issues in federal Nepal; LG level planning and budgeting process; and roles and responsibilities of  elected representatives. At the end of the training participants from each municipality prepared a proposal each for submission to the ward committees seeking their inclusion in the LG fiscal plans. In the training, participants were engaged in various exercises to identify environmental problems and distinguish between climate-induced and other problems. They also learnt about environment related mandate of local governments, basic of climate change, its impacts in Nepal, national and international initiatives, and adaptation and mitigation measures for addressing impact of climate change. Considerable time was invested in making the participants fully aware of the steps of local government budgeting and planning process and, annual and periodic plans. The participants were also engaged in practical exercise to understand basic steps of preparing proposals and issues to consider in the proposals.

As a follow on to the training the women’s groups celebrated the World Environment Day 2019 organizing a variety of activities in their respective municipalities. Ojaswee Women’s Development Centre celebrated the day by organizing a discussion on environmental issues affecting the municipality, while Maiti Manch Nepal organized tree plantation and municipality clean-up activities. Shree Saraswati Nari Chetana Kendra of Bethanchowk Rural Municipality organized a public discussion programme on climate change, local level budget and planning process and environmental issues. Karambot Women’s Agricultural Group organized awareness programme and plantation activities engaging the group members and other community people in Manthali Municipality, while Pragatisheel Women’s Organization organized a public discussion programme in Kageshwori Monahara  focusing on issues facing the municipality such as climate change and its impacts, air pollution, solid waste management and biodiversity conservation.

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