German state secretary visits Nepal to discuss development and flood relief
German Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Bärbel Kofler is on a four-day visit to Nepal, ending on October 31, focused on development cooperation, health, women's rights and recovery from the Bhotekoshi flood.
Dr Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, arrived in Nepal on Wednesday, October 28, for a four-day official visit that ends on October 31. According to the German Embassy in Kathmandu, the visit focuses on development cooperation between the two countries, women's rights, health and the impact of the Bhotekoshi flood.
According to the embassy, as reported by Nagarik News and My Republica, the German government has provided 11.061 million euros for the response to the Bhotekoshi flood. The money is to fund immediate humanitarian assistance as well as longer-term development support, including restoring and rebuilding health and energy infrastructure in the affected area.
Flood-hit Nuwakot on the itinerary
Kofler's programme includes a visit to Nuwakot district to see the consequences of the flood and the humanitarian situation there, My Republica reported, citing the embassy's press release. She is to meet local government representatives, health workers and affected residents to understand what relief and recovery require. In Kathmandu, she is to visit health facilities supported by German development cooperation and meet government and civil society representatives working in the health sector.
Her meetings with the Nepal government, civil society and international and local development partners are also to cover Nepal's current and future development challenges, including last year's Gen-Z protests and transitional justice, according to the embassy's release as reported by My Republica.
Kofler has been a member of the German Parliament since 2004 and has been Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2021. In that role she supports the minister in coordinating and carrying out Germany's bilateral and multilateral development policy. The embassy said the visit is expected to build on the long-standing development ties between Germany and Nepal.