Working Visit of Minister Franz Fayot to Nepal

Franz Fayot, Minister for development cooperation and humanitarian affairs, undertook a working visit to Nepal from 2nd till 6th May 2023. 

The purpose of this mission was to visit the projects of a number of Luxembourg NGOs, namely the NGDO FNEL Scouts and Guides, Humanitarian Cooperation Luxembourg, Handicap International Luxembourg, ECPAT, Aide à l'Enfance de l'Inde et du Nepal (AEIN), and Life Project for Youth (LP4Y).

In Dakshinkali, near Kathmandu, Franz Fayot visited the Agriculture Learning and Resource Center of the Shikharapur Community Learning Center (SCLC), the local partner of the NGDO FNEL Scouts and Guides. The activities of the organization aim in particular to create an environment allowing young people to improve their skills, learn to work independently, and explore the possibilities offered by the agricultural market. Thus, the Minister was able to gather impressions of the SCLC school-farm, the Bottle House, which offers practical training in innovative and sustainable agricultural techniques.

In Pokhara, the NGDO Humanitarian Cooperation Luxembourg is supporting a development project implemented by its local partner SOS Bahini, which aims to improve the access to protection, education, vocational training and health care for children and vulnerable women. The Minister received explanations from the beneficiaries on the functioning of the programs and was able to see the various infrastructures of SOS Bahini, including an eco-village and a training center.

Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs (left) ; Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal  ©MAEE

Arrival at the project of the NGO “Aide à l’enfance en Inde et au Népal” ©MAEE

Meeting with beneficiaries of the projects supported by the NGO “Aide à l’enfance en Inde et au Népal” ©MAEE

Visit of the project by the NGDO “Life Project for Youth” ©MAEE

Minister Fayot then visited the activities of Handicap International Luxembourg (HIL) in the district of Gorkha. As disabilities are ignored in the education and health sectors or in economic development in Nepal, HIL's operations pursue the objectives of improving access to education for children with disabilities, and to enable people with injuries or disabilities to benefit from rehabilitation sessions and reintegration services. During discussions with the beneficiaries of the NGO's economic inclusion program, the minister was able to learn more about the difficulties and challenges faced by people with disabilities in Nepal.

In Kathmandu, Franz Fayot visited three different projects supported by ECPAT. These were a project to prevent the trafficking of young girls into the adult entertainment sector, a project that aims to protect children from early and forced marriage, and a project operating at regional level to fight human trafficking in Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

With the aim of improving justice and social transformation, as well as the socio-economic development of the disadvantaged and marginalized people of Nepal, the NGDO AEIN supports, among others, projects in the fields of education, community development, livelihoods and sustainable agriculture. In this context, Minister Fayot paid a visit to two projects supported by AEIN, namely a rural women's fruit and vegetable cooperative and a school, which had been rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake.

In addition, Franz Fayot visited the Green Village of the NGDO LP4Y, which welcomes young women from rural provinces of Nepal and accompanies them towards their social and professional integration. In order to enable women to create their own income-generating activities, the program offers training in areas such as creativity, marketing, English, communication, as well as project management, proactivity and leadership.

Finally, in Kathmandu, Minister Fayot had a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, during which they underlined the good relations between Luxembourg and Nepal, as well as the importance of the contribution of NGOs from Luxembourg to the benefit of the Nepalese population. On the sidelines of the project visits, the Minister also had a working dinner with Mrs. Nona Deprez, Head of the European Union Delegation in Nepal.

Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs