KATHMANDU: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

today signed two separate Memorandum of Understanding for providing US $381,000 (approximately NRs 28,194, 000) to support the reform efforts of the government at the local level governance.

The grant will be spent for expanding the outreach of UNDP’s ongoing Public Private Partnership for Urban Environment (PPPUE) Programme to four municipalities — Birgunj, Butwal, Dharan and Dhangadhi — and initiating new methods of supporting service delivery to marginalised groups.

A press statement jointly issued by ADB and UNDP Nepal said that the additional funds for increasing the role of the private sector in selected municipalities would allow to support them for increasing their own-source revenues and provide services more effectively and efficiently. “The project will support the efforts of the municipalities to foster greater linkage with the private sector and fund viable small scale projects,” read the statement.

The funds for new initiatives in service delivery are provided by the Australian Government through the AusAID-ADB Development Partnership Facility for South Asia and will be used for recruiting and placing 25 national women volunteers within selected local bodies of Nepal through the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) Programme.

“The volunteers will primarily work with relevant women’s — and other disadvantaged —groups at the local level to ensure effective service delivery,” added the statement.

ADB Country Director for Nepal Barry Hitchcock said that the ADB was keen to work with interested development partners in supporting local governance reforms in Nepal. UNDP Country Director Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau stated that they were very pleased at the landmark agreement.