KATHMANDU, MARCH 21

The Government of Nepal, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) attended a ceremony to mark the start of the construction of a new Humanitarian Staging Area inside the premises of the old Pokhara airport in the Gandaki Province.

Issuing a press release on Thursday, the WFP said the hub in Pokhara, funded by the European Union and managed by WFP in close cooperation with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the Ministry of Home Affairs, is the last of the twelve staging facilities built to support provincial and national emergency response operations across the country. Once completed, each of the seven provinces will be equipped with their own staging area, thereby forming a network to improve storage and transport of relief goods to remote locations during emergencies and crises.

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony today, Chief District Officer of Kaski, Basudev Ghimere said, ' The setting up of humanitarian site at the Pokhara airport is very strategic as this will help in effective coordination of relief supplies through- out the province. The lack of such a facility is starkly evident during major crises and emergencies, including the COVID pandemic and the more recent Jajarkot earthquake which required response at scale. '

The decision to construct a provincial staging area in Pokhara follows the success of the UK-funded Kathmandu hub, which was launched one month before the devastating 2015 earthquake as the central humanitarian hub for emergency preparedness and response. The timely activation of the facility saved 21 days in response time, facilitating a faster delivery of relief supplies to those in desperate need, the statement added.

Similar to Pokhara, WFP has constructed humanitarian hubs at the Tribhuvan Airport in Bagmati Province, Dhangadhi and Baitadi in Sudurpaschim Province, Nepalgunj and Bhairahawa in Lumbini, Surkhet and Jumla in Karnali Province, Birgunj and Bardibas in Madhes Province and Biratnagar and Terhathum in Koshi Province, WFP said.

'Here in Nepal, natural disasters like floods and landslides are a significant threat and it is the poorest communities who suffer the most,' said Veronique Lorenzo, EU Ambassador to Nepal at the ceremony. 'The European Union is working with WFP to build a new emergency response hub allowing us and the Government of Nepal to act faster and save more lives when there is a crisis or a disaster.'

The ceremony took place at the Pokhara airport and was attended by Basudev Ghimire, Chief District Officer, Kaski district together with senior officials from WFP.

'Investing in emergency preparedness can save time and lives. Logistics bases at the provincial level, together with capacity building of humanitarian agencies and government will help each province respond to disasters faster and more effectively,' said Robert Kasca, WFP Nepal Representative and Country Director. 'We are thankful to the European Union for their generous contribution of US$ 161,000 for this important initiative.'

WFP has been supporting the Government of Nepal since 2013 to build a national network of humanitarian staging areas to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacities across the country.