President Bidya Devi Bhandari attending an internationa conference organised by the National Reconstruction Authority on Wednesday. Photos: RSS

December 9: The International Conference on Reconstruction-2078 organized to exchange learning, experiences and achievements of post-earthquake reconstruction of 2072 BS has started from Wednesday. The conference was inaugurated by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Bhandari said that the support offered by the international community has proved to be a milestone in the post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation of Nepal

“The experiences and lessons learned during post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation will be exemplary for the international community and our future generations,” said Bhandari, adding, “I believe that the documents prepared by the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) including all parties involved in the reconstruction work will be a source of valuable knowledge for anyone involved in the field of disaster risk reduction and management.”

In the program, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma said that the reconstruction has helped the country enhance its decision-making capacity, introduce new technology and produce skilled manpower. Stating that a high level of political understanding and support from allies would be important in disaster management and reconstruction, he said that some of the remaining works would be done through the regular mechanism of the government. At the program, Foreign Minister Dr. Narayan Khadka said that the support of donors and development partners has given significant support to build the confidence of the people and uplift them.

Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority, Sushil Gyawali, said that the reconstruction has reached the stage of completion with the support of all stakeholders including development partners. He said that the political leadership should express a strong commitment and understanding, empower autonomous bodies, mobilize the community and adopt an inclusive policy while carrying out reconstruction and disaster management work in the coming days.

Recorded messages from Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, British FCDO Minister Lord Ahmed, and Japanese Minister of State for External Affairs Honda Taro were presented at the inauguration ceremony. Similarly, recorded messages of  Neil Buhne, regional director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; ADB Vice President Shixin Chen; European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic; Patricia Danzi, director general of the SDC, and Delhi-based Charge d'Affaires Amanda Strohan of Canada, who also looks after Nepal were presented as well.

The event was addressed by US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry, World Bank’s Country Director for Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lankan Faris Hadad Zervos and UNICEF South Asian Regional Director Laryea Adjei. Similarly, Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal Torun Dramdal read out a message from Norway's Minister for International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim. Ambassador of India to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of China Hou Yanqi and Ambassador of Switzerland Elizabeth Von Kepler were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

Following the inauguration program, 10 subjective sessions of the conference have been completed as well. After completing 10 more sessions on Thursday, the conference will conclude in the afternoon in the presence of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as the chief guest.