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Executive Summary

Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) is the largest humanitarian organization covering the landscape of the country as a whole through its 75 district chapters and more than 1,300 sub-chapters at the peripheral level. Since its inception, the NRCS has been providing humanitarian services to the needy people. It has also been carrying out development activities to reduce vulnerability through long term development plan since early 1980’s focusing on community resilience programmes and organizational development activities. The wide spread organizational network of the NRCS is recently supported by over a million members and tens of thousands professional volunteers. The Society has just completed the Fift h Development Plan (2008-10) which focused on in four core areas: disaster management, health and care in the community, organizational development, and promotion of principles and humanitarian values.

Nepal ranked 23rd in the world in terms of the total natural hazard-related deaths (DP Net 2009). A study conducted by the World Bank classifi ed Nepal as one of the global “hot-spots” for natural disaster. It is a disaster prone country for several reasons like its terrain, climatic changes, excessive rainfall, climate change and threats of epidemics. It faces several hazards including earthquakes, fl oods, landslides, windstorms, hailstorm, fire, glacial lake outburst fl oods (GLOFs) and avalanches. High population growth and its impacts along with limited disaster awareness compound these hazards.

The NRCS has implemented its Fift h Development Plan successfully. Its has delivered good achivement and impacts. In addition, there are tangible changes in the capacity of vulnerable communities and Red Cross units.

This Sixth Development Plan (2011-2015) has considered the national contexts, emerging issues and policy environment, humanitarian challenges, lessons learnt and the experiences of earlier plans and in particular from the Fift h Development Plan. Consultations were made and inputs were taken from the NRCS governance and management including the planning committee as well as Red Cross movement and other partners.

The Sixth Development Plan has been prepared in compatibility with national and global context especially Strategy 2020 of the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies which has set out 3 strategic aims. Th is plan focuses more on impacts and is structured as strategic aims, expected impacts, key action areas and key indicators.

The Plan takes the approach of “doing more, doing better, and reaching further”. It will make continuous contribution to the national goals, Millennium Development Goals, aims of the Federation strategy, Seville Agreement as well as strategy of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement addressing humanitarian challenges.

The Sixth Plan is a road map of the NRCS for the next fi ve years. It has identifi ed its strategic aims and key action areas to achieve the objectives based on the vision and mission of the organization. The four strategic aims have been depicted as follows:

1) Save lives, protect livelihood, strengthen recovery from disaster and crisis; 2) Promote safer, resilient and healthy communities; 3) Promote social inclusion and culture of non-violence and peace; 4) Strengthen organizational governance and management capacity at all level for better performance to reduce vulnerability

The Plan has adopted general strategies like building strong national society, promoting responsible governance, well functioning management capacity building, increasing accountability, communications, humanitarian diplomacy, coordination, and partnerships.

Based on the needs of communities at risk and the response mechanism, the Plan focuses on strategic aims and expected impact, quality of services and capacity building at all levels and strengthening partnership with the RCRC movement and non-movement partners. The plan addresses emerging issues such as urbanization, immigration and migration, consequences of climate change, violence and crises that will be deliberately incorporated into the NRCS programmes and activities.

The NRCS management takes note of appropriate measures for adaptation and smooth implementation of key activities planned and thus achieving the impacts and Strategic Aims. Alignment of the governance and management structures will be designed as may be required in the changed context and while working through four strategic aims and expected impacts at all levels, focusing on results and performance, social inclusion, gender and youth involvement. Partnership modalities will be based on the principles defi ned by the NRCS Cooperation Agreement Strategy.

Consistency, standardization and integration of key actions will be reinforced for effective performance and expected impacts. Review of organizational structure and working modalities will be considered also to ensure compatibility with the proposed national constitution under federal structure, as and when materialized.

The NRCS is expected to benefit about five million people from the most vulnerable communities during the Plan implementation period. Likewise, it will have raised and mobilized 4.84 billion rupees (CHF 63.7 million) during the plan period.