Kathmandu, December 11 The government of Nepal and development partners agreed on a joint statement of support today for Nepal’s relief, recovery and resilience plan to enable a green, resilient and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19. The green recovery approach recognises the need for investment to protect lives and secure jobs and livelihoods as an immediate priority, and the need to build resilience, further strengthen inclusion, equity, and enhance sustainability in the longer term. “The Nepal government welcomes this joint development partner approach to support green recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic that is well aligned with Nepal’s 15th development plan,” Radha Wagle, joint secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, has been quoted as saying in a media release. “It is also very timely as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will be announcing Nepal’s climate ambition at the Global COP 26 Ambition Summit.' The government of Nepal and development partners have agreed to work together on a joint green recovery package which could total an estimated $7.4 billion, and includes both grant and loan support for the initial response to COVID-19, and already approved, pipeline and forthcoming projects that support green recovery. “Nepal’s development partners wish to align their support for Nepal’s green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to create jobs, stimulate inclusive growth and get Nepal back on track to achieve middle income status by 2030,” stated Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank country director for Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. “Nepal’s development partners are ready to support local, provincial and federal governments to stimulate a green recovery that benefits all,” stated Roland Schaefer, German ambassador to Nepal. “As holders of the UN climate presidency and hosts for the Climate COP 26 next year, the UK is greatly impressed by Nepal’s climate leadership and ambition in its recently approved NDC,” stated Lisa Honan, UK government Asia climate envoy. “It is only by working together that we can tackle the COVID-19 and climate crises and build resilience, create sustainable jobs and stimulate the green growth that Nepal needs to bounce back greener.” Development partners associating themselves with the joint statement include Asian Development Bank, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, international government organisations, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Norway SDC, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, United States Agency for International Development, and World Bank. Initial estimates of the scale of support in five areas identified are:

• Up to $840 million for immediate COVID-19 needs including direct health care and vaccine access, and support for livelihoods and vulnerable groups
• Up to $4.2 billion from restructuring existing and confirmed projects and up to $2.4 billion for new and pipeline projects for supporting green recovery in the four areas of:

1.  Nature-based solutions for growth and job creation in agriculture, forestry and biodiversity and water management, and tackling the impacts of climate change in the Himalayas
2.  Green and resilient infrastructure, urban development and pollution management, that together create jobs and protect human health;
3. Increasing resilience to future shocks such as health, climate and earthquake risks, by strengthening health, social protection, education and disaster managementsystems; and
4.  Stimulating private sector recovery, and increasing green investment and job creation in finance, tourism, clean energy, waste management, forestry and agriculture.