Australia, UNDP sign accord to promote micro-enterprises in Nepal

With a view to improve the living standard of poor people in Nepal, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Australia have signed an agreement here on Friday.

According to a leading newspaper, The Himalayan Times daily Saturday's report, as many as 6,000 people in poverty will benefit from the new agreement.

Under the new agreement, Australia will contribute 56,000 U.S. dollars towards the micro-enterprise development program, which seeks to help the very poor improve their incomes by starting and managing their own businesses.

The program, a joint initiative between the government of Nepal and UNDP, has helped 84,000 people in 20 districts improve their incomes through enterprises since 1998, a statement issued by the UNDP said.

The new Australian contribution will be used to assist people in some districts in the country, where under a previous program, Australia helped communities to form community user groups, which now successfully manage plantations covering almost 42,000 hectares of woodland.

"The micro-enterprise program will assist some of these users groups to improve their members' livelihoods by promoting forest- based enterprises," the statement said.

The UNDP resident representative Matthew Kahane said, "The best way to help people out of poverty and exclusion is by creating opportunities, especially employment opportunities, which are very limited in many parts of rural Nepal."

Source: Xinhua