As part of Government of India’s post-earthquake-reconstruction efforts in Nepal, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is organizing an exposure visit of 16 Elected Local Government representatives from Gorkha District of Nepal to India from 12-16 November 2019. UNDP’s partner Owner Driven Reconstruction Collaborative of India (ODRC) is coordinating their visits to Gujarat and Delhi to learn from Bhuj Earthquake Reconstruction Experience. Mayors/Deputy Mayors of two Municipalities and Ward Chairs/Vice-Chairs of six Gaunpalikas are participating in the visit.

During their visit to India, the delegation will interact with the elected representatives of Bhujand Gujarat Government executives and observe the practices of owner driven reconstruction adopted after the Bhuj earthquake. In Delhi, the delegation will interact with National Disaster Management Authority of India to get a comprehensive overview of India’s disaster preparedness, recovery set up and experiences.

Government of India is collaborating with Government of Nepal on post-earthquake reconstruction of 26,912 houses in Gorkha district of Nepal. To complement the Government of Nepal’s owner driven reconstruction approach, UNDP is providing socio-technical facilitation to home owners to rebuild their resilient homes.

The visit will provide an avenue for building capacities of key local stakeholders for ensuring earthquake resilient reconstruction by raising community awareness about disaster management, recovery and resilience.