BRANNGO Conference at the British Embassy Kathmandu 22nd November 2023 -

BRANNGO Conference at the British Embassy, Kathmandu

Wednesday 22nd November 2023

By kind permission of His Excellency the Ambassador, Mr Rob Fenn, BRANNGO held a conference at the British Embassy in Kathmandu on 22nd November 2023. The theme was ‘Strengthening collaborative links so UK NGOs can better help those in need in Nepal’.

The Conference consisted of a series of presentations by members of the Embassy staff, various NGOs and members of BRANNGO, interspersed with breaks for networking, discussion and refreshment. Click here to download a copy of the day’s programme.

Click here to download a list of attendees. Contact treasurer@branngo.org.uk if you require the contact details of any speakers or delegates (sorry: data security rules mean we cannot post all the details here).

Scroll to the bottom of this report to see more photos of the event.

Speaker(s):

Presentation:

Notes:

His Excellency Mr Rob Fenn, British Ambassador

(No presentation)

His Excellency welcomed all those attending and paid tribute to David and Joanna Thomas for setting up BRANNGO. He spoke briefly about the importance of civil society as the basis for development rather than relying solely on government policy and largesse, and mentioned that the afternoon session by his deputy would give more detail of the UK’s development programme in Nepal.

Nick Hinton, Chairman of BRANNGO

Click here to see presentation and here to see the BRANNGO website.

Mithila Wildlife Trust, Dev Narayan Mandal and Philip Holmes

Click here to download the presentation. Click here to see the film. See also the Mithila Wildlife Trust website here.

Ridley Eye Foundation, Shakuntala Dhakal and Pratikshya Dhakal

Click here to download the presentation. See the Ridley Eye Foundation website here.

Mondo Foundation and HELP, Jimmy Lama and Ranjana Gautam

Click here to download the presentation and here to see the Mondo website.

The British Government Aid Programme in Nepal, Pippa Bird, Development Director and Deputy Ambassador, British Embassy Kathmandu.

(No presentation). Click here to see the FCDO UK-Nepal development partnership summary, July 2023.

Main points: ▪ Nepal is an environment with ‘multi-dimensional fragility’, not least because of its geography and climate. ▪ Hydropower is a potential gamechanger for the economy, if it can be sold to India and Bangladesh. ▪ Many are leaving Nepal so creating attractive in-country jobs is crucial, particularly in the SME sector. ▪ Dealing with climate change requires not only finance but social protection. ▪ Shortage of money means the need for value for money is paramount. ▪ The UK is helping develop security and justice institutions, particularly to deal with gender-based violence. ▪ Health, education and the medical infrastructure are other key focus areas. ▪ Promotion from Least Developed Country status in 2 years is a key transition. ▪ UK NGOs represent huge soft power ▪ A great deal of evidence and knowledge is needed to support decisions so sharing is critical. ▪ FCDO operates predominantly in Karnal, Madhesh and Lumbini.

Kathmandu Institute of Child Health, Dr Bhagwan Koirala, Professor of Surgery and Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon.

Click here to download the presentation (CAUTION: very large file!) and here to see the KIOCH website.

New Futures Nepal, Nirmala Bhandari.

Click here to download the presentation and here to see the New Futures Nepal website.

Animal Nepal and the Jane Goodall Institute Nepal, Shristi Singh Shrestha.

Click here to download the presentation, here to see the Animal Nepal website and here to see the Jane Goodall Institute Nepal Facebook page.

BRANNGO Working Groups: Sarah Mackaness, Chair of the Education Working Group, and Lisa Whitehouse-Foskett, Chair of the Health Working Group

Click here to download the presentation, here to see the Education Working Group webpage, and here to see the Health Working Group webpage.

Global Action Nepal, BK Shrestha, Shreekrishna Wenju, Laxmi Dhital

Click here to download the presentation and here to see the GAN website.

Nepal Doctors Association UK, Dr Sanjeeb Nepal

Click here to download the presentation and here to see the NDAUK website.

Craniofacial Centre Nepal, Dr Sunil Sah

Click here to download the presentation (CAUTION: very large file!) and here to see the Centre’s website.

Photographs of the Event

(Thanks to Lisa Whitehouse-Foskett and Aruna Sherchan)