April 10, The National Disaster Management Network of Nepal (DiMaNN) successfully held a joint meeting of its Board and Advisors, marking an important milestone for the organization’s future direction. The meeting formally endorsed the DiMaNN Strategic Plan 2025–2030, setting a clear roadmap for strengthening disaster resilience, civil society engagement, and local leadership across Nepal in the years ahead.

Participants held an in-depth discussion on the evolving national and global context in which Nepali civil society is operating. The meeting noted that global conflicts, shifting geopolitical priorities, and emerging economic pressures have led to a significant decline in external development funding, directly impacting local NGOs and CSOs. Members expressed concern that this shrinking resource landscape is creating new challenges for community-level organizations that have long been at the frontline of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and humanitarian action.

Recognizing these challenges, the meeting decided to organize a wider civic dialogue at the earliest possible date, bringing together civil society actors, government representatives, and other partners to address the sustainability of local organizations and collectively explore a more resilient, self-reliant model of civic engagement.

The Board and Advisors also stressed the need to strengthen the humanitarian role of civil society, emphasizing capacity-building, leadership development, and the mobilization of local financial and human resources. They highlighted that empowered local institutions are critical for effective preparedness, timely response, and long-term resilience.

The meeting further underlined the importance of documenting local practices, indigenous knowledge, innovations, and lessons learned in DRR, as these community-driven approaches play a vital role in shaping national-level policies and programs. Increased knowledge sharing among local organizations was encouraged to ensure that successful models can be replicated across municipalities and provinces.

Concluding the meeting, members collectively called for a nationwide campaign on disaster preparedness and risk reduction, ensuring that DRR efforts are mainstreamed across all levels of governance and reach even the most remote communities. DiMaNN reaffirmed its commitment to leading and coordinating such efforts, reinforcing its role as a key national actor in strengthening Nepal’s resilience.