KATHMANDU: Dr Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, is arriving in Nepal today for a four-day visit.
According to the German Embassy in Kathmandu, Dr Kofler will take stock of Germany-Nepal cooperation, with a particular focus on women’s rights, healthcare, and the impact of the Bhote Koshi floods. She is scheduled to meet representatives of the Government of Nepal, civil society, and international and local partner organisations to discuss ways to further strengthen development cooperation between the two countries.
The German Federal Government has provided 11.061 million euros in assistance for the response to the Bhote Koshi floods. The support will fund immediate humanitarian assistance as well as longer-term development efforts, including the restoration and reconstruction of health and energy infrastructure in affected areas.
During her visit, Dr Kofler will travel to Nuwakot to assess the flood damage and the humanitarian situation in the affected areas. She will meet local government representatives, healthcare workers, and affected residents to gain first-hand insight into their needs for humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation.
In Kathmandu, Dr Kofler will visit health institutions supported by German development cooperation. She is also scheduled to hold discussions with government officials and civil society representatives on healthcare and other development priorities.
Her engagements will provide an opportunity to discuss Nepal’s current and future development trajectory, as well as the challenges facing the country. Discussions will also cover last year’s Gen Z movement and transitional justice in Nepal.
The visit is expected to provide Dr Kofler with perspectives from various levels of development cooperation and further strengthen the longstanding development partnership between Germany and Nepal.
Dr Kofler has been a member of the German Parliament, or Bundestag, since 2004. She has served as Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2021, assisting the minister in coordinating and implementing Germany’s bilateral and multilateral development cooperation policies.
Dr Kofler previously visited Nepal in 2022, when she held discussions with various partners in the country. Her latest visit is expected to build on those engagements and provide fresh impetus to bilateral cooperation.
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