A symposium on “Lumbini’s Path to Disaster Resilience and Tomorrow’s Rapti” held in Provincial Capital City of Rapti on January 23, 2024 has concluded with “RAPTI DECLARATION 2024”, a collective commitments of authorities and stakeholders to build Disaster Resilient Lumbini Province and Tomorrow’s Rapti City (Deukhuri).

To scale up the learnings of the implementations the Tomorrow’s Cities Project and promote Disaster Resilient Lumbini Province and Tomorrow’s Rapti Valley (Deukhuri), Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers Lumbini Province, Ministry of Home Affairs Lumbini Province, Ministry of Urban Development Lumbini Province, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, Lumbini Province, Lumbini Provincial Planning Commission, Lumbini Province, Provincial Infrastructure Development Authority (PIDA), Lumbini Province, Shitaganga Municipality, Rapti Rural Municipality, Gadhwa Rural Municipality and National Society for Earthquake Technology – Nepal (NSET), on behalf of CSOs in Nepal have signed the RAPTI DECLARATION 2024 and put forward collective commitment towards making Safer Tomorrow’s Rapti city and Disaster Resilient Lumbini Province.

Addressing the Symposium, Chief Minister Mr. Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary from Lumbini Province stressed on the need to collaborative efforts to tackle potential threats of natural hazards and climate adversities.

The Symposium was addressed by Ms. Krishna K.C., Minister for Urban Development, Ms. Radhika Aryal, Principal Secretary, Mr. Lal Bahadur Paudel, Secretary from Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Bhandari, Secretary from Ministry of Urban Development, Mr. Sunil Paudel, Secretary from Minster of Physical Infrastructure Development, Mr. Prakash Bista, Chairperson of Rapti Rural Municipality, Dr. Amod Mani Dixit, President of NSET, Mr. Chhabi Raj Pokhrel, Chief Executive Officer of PIDA and among others. The Symposium was jointly organized by Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers (OCMCM), Lumbini Province, Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, Provincial Infrastructure Development Authority (PIDA), Lumbini Province, Rapti Rural Municipality, Sheetganfa Municipality and Gadhwa Rural Municipality and NSET as part of Tomorrow’s Cities project.

The symposium was organized on the occasion of 26th Earthquake Safety Day (ESD). Nepal marks Earthquake Safety Day (ESD) every year on January 15 or 16 (Magh 2 according to the Nepalese Calendar) with week-long events, commemorating the Great Nepal-Bihar Earthquake of 1934. The main objective of the ESD is to raise public awareness and engage

the community on various facets of earthquake risk management, consequently contributing to building resilient Nepali communities to earthquakes.

The RAPTI DECLARATION 2024 puts forward collective commitment to accomplish following tasks in collaboration, and pledge to gradually implement – Work Areas of Collective Commitments. The eight points of commitment are as follows.

RAPTI DECLARATION 2024

1. Enforcement of the National Building Code (NBC) in all 109 local levels within Lumbini province,

2. Ensuring that all the infrastructures to be built within the province are safe from all kinds of disaster,

3. Conducting studies whether the existing government buildings, schools, hospitals, historical and cultural heritage, public infrastructure and private buildings are safe from disasters, and prepare and implement appropriate work plans for improvement.

4. Conducting theme-based training and capacity building programs to enhance the capacity of construction workers, engineers, planners and policy makers and implementers for the construction of disaster resilient buildings and structures,

5. Developing volunteer mobilization system with the necessary skills and materials at all local levels to be mobilized for emergency search, rescue, relief and recovery after a disaster.

6. To develop tomorrow’s Rapti Valley (Deukhuri) as a better-managed, disaster-safe, inclusive city, including the development scenario expressed by the communities in the Master Plan.

7. Prepare and implement Risk Sensitive Land Use and Development Planning Guidelines for new cities, and

8. Through the above-mentioned activities, the Provincial Government, Local Governments and Partner Organizations will take initiatives for meaningful collaboration and implement activities in collaboration to achieve the goal of making Disaster Resilient Nepali Communities and Lumbini province.