Building Resilience in Nepal through Public-Private Partnerships

The report identifies critical gaps in Nepal's disaster resilience, particularly regarding the enforcement of building codes and business continuity planning. It argues that the private sector can provide essential technical expertise, innovative financing, and construction capacity to 'build back better.' Key recommendations include retrofitting existing structures, linking financial loans to building code compliance, and developing a national tourism risk management strategy to protect a sector that contributes significantly to the national GDP.

• The 2015 earthquake caused widespread destruction, killing over 8,800 people and affecting over 8 million people, or one-third of Nepal's population, with nearly half a million houses destroyed.
• Nepal's building code enforcement is severely limited; as of 2015, only 26 out of 191 municipalities had begun implementing the Code, and 95% of fully collapsed buildings were constructed of low-strength masonry.
• Retrofitting and incremental improvements, such as using cement mortar instead of mud mortar, are identified as affordable and effective ways to save lives and reduce economic losses.
• The education sector suffered $300 million in damage and losses, with 63% of assessed classrooms in the 14 most-affected districts classified as unsafe.
• Approximately 75% of all school structures in Nepal require retrofitting, while the remaining 25% need to be demolished and rebuilt.
• The tourism industry experienced an estimated total economic impact of $780 million, including $180 million in damages and $600 million in losses, with 90% of this borne by private individuals and businesses.
• Nepal lacks sufficient financial capacity to absorb a 1-in-100-year loss, and insurance penetration is only half that of China and a quarter of India's, suggesting a need for public-private risk transfer mechanisms like the African Risk Capacity.
• The private sector can address the skilled-labour shortage in reconstruction, which is predicted to require 20,000 skilled workers, by providing training and job opportunities.
• Public-private partnerships could improve resilience by linking bank loans and private financing to the adoption of safer construction standards and building code compliance.
• Overall resilience in Nepal is hindered by political instability, corruption, and a complex political transition, meaning 'building back better' must include support for the country's political transition.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Building Resilience in Nepal through Public-Private Partnerships. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC15_Building_Resilience_in_Nepal_report_1510.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Building Resilience in Nepal through Public-Private Partnerships. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC15_Building_Resilience_in_Nepal_report_1510.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Building Resilience in Nepal through Public-Private Partnerships |date=October 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC15_Building_Resilience_in_Nepal_report_1510.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015building, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Building Resilience in Nepal through Public-Private Partnerships}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GAC15_Building_Resilience_in_Nepal_report_1510.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }