Kathmandu: The European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, who was in Kathmandu on a one-day visit, met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” at Singha Durbar on Wednesday and discussed various matters related to Nepal-EU cooperation. She was also offered luncheon by Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal. “Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal hosted a working luncheon in honour of the visiting European Commissioner,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the conversation, Foreign Minister stated that the European Union is a major provider of development assistance, most of which comes as a budgetary support and conveyed the Government of Nepal’s appreciation of the EU’s cooperation in the priority areas of rural development, renewable energy, drinking water, forest and agriculture, among others.
Mentioning the Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) strategy adopted by the Government of Nepal in 2021, Nepal’s Foreign Minister highlighted that the Strategy has been put forth to systematically address the twin developmental challenges posed by the adverse impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on the one hand and vulnerability to climate change, on the other.
The EU Commissioner discussed the new phase of the EU’s cooperation program for Nepal under Multi-Annual Indicative Program 2021-27 and the priority areas, including renewable energy, energy security and access to clean energy, water and sanitation as well as human capital development. The two sides discussed trade and investment as crucial components of Nepal-EU relationship.
Both sides underlined the importance of multilateralism with the United Nations at its center.
The EU Commissioner has expressed commitment to support Nepal achieve food security. “The EU has long been an active and steady partner in supporting Food Security in Nepal. It has contributed to the establishment of Nepal Food Security Monitoring and Analysis System (NeKSAP),” she wrote in Nepal Live Today on Wednesday. “In the past 4 years, budget support worth EUR 40m was provided directly to the Government of Nepal and contributed to the implementation of the long-term Agriculture Development Strategy of the country.”
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