In Numbers

WFP 2.8 million food-insecure people Country Brief 1.84 million malnourished pregnant and February 2021 lactating women

US$ 2.07 million, six-month (Mar 2021 - Aug 2021) net funding requirements

Operational Updates in April 020 • Under the Livelihoods for Economic Recovery Project (LERP) launched in response to COVID-19, WFP continued to implement the emergency nutrition operation in Province 2, reaching over 55,500 pregnant and lactating women and children aged 6-23 months so far. For this, 333 mt of Operational Context specialised nutritious food (wheat soya blend) was The , adopted in 2015, distributed. WFP is in the process of procuring food to reach beneficiaries in three additional restructured the country as a federal democratic municipalities of Saptari. republic, representing a new era for the country at an opportune time to make progress on the 2030 • Under LERP, 184 food assistance for assets (FFA) Agenda. The new Right to Food Act enshrines food as projects are also ongoing in five districts of a fundamental right of every citizen. Both changes Province 2. Through this, WFP has provided cash- present an opportunity to include Sustainable based transfers to 13,000 vulnerable households so Development Goal (SDG) 2 in national policies, far. The assets constructed will support livelihood recovery and strengthen resilience to shocks and budgets, and sub-national plans in the new federal stresses amongst COVID-19 affected communities. structure. • The Government officially endorsed WFP-developed The Zero Hunger Strategic Review (ZHSR), conducted menu sets for the home-grown school feeding in 2017-18, found that the country still suffers from programme in February. The menus will be used as serious food insecurity and malnutrition despite a reference across the country and have also been commendable progress on these fronts. It also highlighted in the school-level implementation outlined a series of recommendations to address the guideline – a key document for school feeding problem. implementation. • Under school feeding, WFP conducted project WFP has been operating in Nepal since 1963. orientations and coordination meetings in Nuwakot for local government officials. Participants included the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Nuwakot and several ward representatives. Funded by the Government of Japan, school feeding in Nuwakot aims to strengthen the capacity of municipalities and schools to effectively implement the national school meals programme (NSMP). • Under the Climate Change Adaptation project (CAFS-Karnali), WFP initiated the development of climate smart villages (CSV) in seven rural municipalities. The CSV method combines climate friendly technologies and practices with local capacity strengthening and aim to develop resilient systems, increase agricultural production, food security and adaptative capacities of smallholder farmers. • In February, WFP started to build the fifth Humanitarian Staging Area (HSA) at the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. Once Population: 29.8 million (Jan 2019 Human Development Index: all planned seven HSAs (one in each of Nepal’s 2019) 147 out of 189 seven provinces) are completed, these bases will allow the provincial governments to respond Income Level: Least Chronic malnutrition: 36% of effectively to local disasters, forming a network developed children between 6-59 that will improve storage and transportation of months goods to remote locations.

Contact info: Kessang Lama ([email protected]) Country Director a.i.: Jane Pearce Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/nepal

WFP Country • On behalf of the national Logistics Cluster, WFP Strategy successfully conducted a Logistics Cluster orientation in six provinces - Province 1, Country Strategic Plan 2019-2023 Province 2, , Province, Allocated Mar - Aug 2021 Net and Sudur Paschim Province. Total Requirement Contributions (in Funding Requirements (in USD) The purpose of these sessions is to train users USD) (in USD) in accessing products and services related to 141.65 m 98.54 m 2.07 m logistics through the Cluster. • WFP conducted an inception workshop for the Strategic Result 1: Access to food Consolidated Livelihood Exercise for Analysing Strategic Outcome 1: Affected populations in Nepal have timely Resilience (CLEAR) in coordination with WFP’s access to adequate food and nutrition during and in the aftermath of Regional Bureau and the UK Met Office. CLEAR natural disasters and other shocks. is an analytical approach developed by WFP to Activities: better understand how food security is affected • Provide food assistance for targeted shock-affected people, including food by climate risks. Through this exercise, a and cash-based transfers (CBTs) and specialized nutritious foods and comprehensive climate and livelihood analysis related services for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women and girls. covering the entire country will be produced. The analysis will play an important role in Strategic Result 2: End Malnutrition strengthening existing climate change-related Strategic Outcome 2: Food-insecure people in targeted areas have initiatives as well as developing adaptation- improved nutrition throughout the key stages of their lives by 2025. related strategies and programmes.

Activities: • The results of the third mVAM household survey • Support the strengthening of national nutrition-sensitive, gender- was presented to the Ministry of Agriculture and responsive social safety nets for vulnerable populations and provide Livestock Development and is in the process of specialized nutritious foods, technical assistance, logistics and social behaviour change communication for the prevention of malnutrition. being released. The survey found that the • Provide gender-transformative and nutrition-sensitive school meals and overall food security situation improved in health packages in chronically food-insecure areas and strengthen the recent months, with 16.8 percent of households Government’s capacity to integrate the national school meals programme with inadequate food consumption in December into the national social protection framework. • Provide technical support to the Government for the development of a compared to 23.2 and 20.2 percent in April and rice-fortification policy framework and supply chain system for use in August 2020 respectively. social safety nets. Highlight of the month Strategic Result 4: Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Outcome 3: Vulnerable communities in remote food- insecure areas have improved food security and resilience to climate and other shocks by 2030.

Activities: • Develop and improve risk-resilient infrastructure and strengthen local capacity to identify climate risks and implement adaptive strategies.

Strategic Result 5: Nepal has Strengthened Capacity to Implement the SDGs

Strategic Outcome 4: The Government has strengthened capabilities to provide essential food security and nutrition services and respond to crises by 2023. The Government of Japan provided WFP with an Activities: assistance worth US$ 3.47 million to implement the • Strengthen preparedness capacity, establish emergency logistics and institutional platforms and improve access to food reserves to enable mother and child health and nutrition programme government and humanitarian partners to respond rapidly to crises. in an additional five vulnerable districts of Province • Provide technical assistance to enable the Government to strengthen the food security monitoring, analysis and early-warning system and 1 and 2. Through the provision of specialised align it with the federal governance system. nutritious food, this partnership will allow WFP to Strategic Result 6: Nepal has enhanced policy coherence on FSN reach pregnant and lactating women and children aged 06-23 months and will support in the Strategic Outcome 5: Government efforts towards achieving zero hunger by 2030 are supported by inclusive and coherent policy establishment of community food banks with food frameworks across all spheres of government by 2023. storage facilities. Activities: • Provide technical assistance and support evidence generation for WFP thanks the Government of Japan once again government and multisector partners to enhance rights-based food for their continued support to WFP and Nepal. security and nutrition plans, policies, regulatory frameworks and service delivery. Donors

Strategic Result 8: Enhance Global Partnerships Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Strategic Outcome 6: Humanitarian and development partners Government of Nepal, of America, United have access to reliable common services by the end of 2023. Kingdom, United Nations and private donors.

Activities: Photo Page 1: © WFP/Manoj THAPA • Provide on-demand service provision to all stakeholders in the country in order to support effective humanitarian response. Photo Page 2: © WFP/Monica UPADHYAY

WFP Nepal Country Brief February 2021