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Nepal IDP Research Initiative Findings
Currently, urban areas of Nepal are experiencing population increases as a direct result of political conflicts that face the nation. The pressure exerted by this flux of individuals has increased urban poverty levels and the efficiency of the urban service delivery system. In February 2003, RUPP conducted a survey to assess the population, occupations, and other characteristics of these internally displaced persons due to their increasing presence in its partner municipalities. As a follow up survey, finding that the issue of IDPs has to be mainstreamed within the Programme, Rural Urban Partnership Programme has been addressing the issue of IDPs with the following activities :
The Programme with the objective of creating enabling environment for IDPs, has been conducting orientation on UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. By the end of 2005, more than four hundreds persons has been made aware on the issue of rights of IDPs and the supports IDPs need during the period of displacement. Apart from the IDPs; local authorities, community leaders, teachers, human right activists and journalist are the audience of these orientation. Other valued added advantage of these orientations is that these orientations often provide forums for the IDPs to raise their voice. Moreover, these orientations in some places also succeeded to foster an alliance among stakeholders for the cause of IDPs. These orientations were preceded by capacity building of partner municipalities through the training of their staff. During 2005, four events of training on DAG issue including the issue of IDPs were conducted for the staff of 20 partner municipalities. Apart from this, numbers of similar training also took place in 2004. To address the economic vulnerability of IDPs, the Programme has been conducting an economic empowerment program for the IDPs population through training and credit support. Altogether, more than 50 IDPs have successfully benefited from this credit component of the Programme (see case story). A total of eight women IDPs were trained given Enterprise Management Training.
As result of successful credit intervention, IDPs are successfully making their livelihoods as well as overcoming the initial mistrust towards IDPs prevailing among host communities with an excellent loan repayment rate, leading to a larger scale credit support initiative by the Programme.
The Programme, pursuant to its obligation to the cause of IDPs, has been supporting the partner municipalities to scale up the urban service deliveries. In this context, the Programme has provided seed grants with the objective of supporting IDPs to TLOs. Further in this line, the Programme has supported three schools, namely: Bhrikuti Higher Secondary, Mahendranagar Higher Secondary, and Baijnath Higher Secondary of Mahendranagar Municipality. These schools were provided with financial supports for scaling up their capacities to adjust increasing number of IDPs by expansion of the number of classrooms and furniture. The RUPP also have been providing seed grants to support TLOs in addressing needs of IDPs
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