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IFRTD Asia organises Health and Transport Advocacy Workshop in Nepal
2008-09-02
IFRTD Asia Secretariat organised the Asia Regional Workshop for researchers from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal in Kathmandu, Nepal on the 19th August 2008. This workshop was to develop national advocacy strategies for the countries where the research took place based on the findings of the research concluded recently. The research and the workshops were sponsored by SDC and Sida and IFRTD conducted the research in association with the Swiss Tropical Institute and Swiss INGO Skat.
The 19th August workshop was followed by a field visit by the researchers to areas where the Nepali researches were carried out. The sites included Trail Bridges, Rural Roads, River Crossings using cable carriages and Gravity Ropeways.
On the 21st August a national advocacy workshop was held in Kathmandu to present the Nepal advocacy strategy to the policy makers. Findings of the three research studies carried out in Nepal by Practical Action Nepal, Trail Bridge Support Unit of Helvetas and the District Road Support Programme were jointly presented Ms.Binjwala Shrestha and Ms. Jun Hada while Dr. Ashoke Sarkar from India presented the key findings of the researches carried out in Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia.
The presentations were well received by the workshop participants including Health, Local Development and National Planning of the Government of Nepal , INGOs, Donour Agencies and individuals. The Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission Dr. Jagdish Chandra Pokharel, Secretary of the Ministry of Local Development, Deupty Director General DoLIDAR Mr. Bhin Upadhyaya, and Chief Engineer, DoLIDAR Mr. Niraj Shah, were among the distinguished guests.
There was a lively discussion that followed after the presentations with many participants expressing their views. In their speeches, the distibnguish guests accepted fact that there is a need to incorporate the findings of the researches and recommendations of the workshop in to the national and local level poicies in the country.
