With the approval of the concept paper, objectives, agenda, as well as the list of invitees, guests, experts, and participating institutions, the much-anticipated first edition of the Sagarmatha Sambad, a multi-stakeholder forum initiated by the government of Nepal to foster dialogue on pressing issues of global, regional, and national significance, is set to take off.

The government has also formed three committees to organise the event, which will be held in Kathmandu from May 16 to 18. The theme for the first edition is “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity.”

Inspired by global platforms like the World Economic Forum of Davos, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, the Sagarmatha Sambad was first announced by the KP Sharma Oli government in 2019, but was canceled due to the Covid pandemic.

According to the concept paper, Sagarmatha Sambad reflects Nepal’s longstanding policy of promoting global understanding and cooperation through dialogue, consensus building, and collaboration.

The document, which was also seen by the Post, emphasises Nepal’s commitment to the common good and the collective well-being of humanity.

It stresses Nepal’s need to initiate such a dialogue to promote the achievements and progress in areas such as the peace process, environment protection, inclusive democracy, efforts to establish world peace, regional cooperation, women’s upliftment and empowerment, and proactive diplomacy aimed at burnishing Nepal’s image.

The government has formed three layers of committees including one headed by Prime Minister Oli, another led by Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and the third, a secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office (PM) under Rajkumar Shrestha, secretary at PMO.

In the common minimum programme announced by the Congress-UML coalition in September last year, the government had committed to organising the Sagarmatha Sambad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Forests each has allocated Rs5 million to organise the event.

The core objective of Sagarmatha Sambad is to build shared understanding among national and international stakeholders for immediate climate action. Next objective is seeking inclusive solutions where nations can advocate for climate justice by providing vulnerable nations and communities with fair and inclusive solutions.

Also, the Sambad will seek enhanced global cooperation to accelerate climate finance, scale up innovative technologies, and boost capacity building. Finally, it strives to form a global coalition for taking ambitious action in preserving mountains and securing a sustainable future for humanity.

However, officials at the PMO and Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed to the Post that invitations to foreign delegates were yet to be sent. The officials said there is a lack of coordination between the PMO and the ministry, and foreign interest in Sagarmatha Sambad remains low. As a result, high-level participation from neighboring countries is not expected.

“Some heads of INGOs and NGOs, along with a few experts are likely to participate,” an official said. “But we have not received any enthusiastic inquiries from neighboring countries and foreign leaders who could make a real impact.”

The government is planning to invite leaders from the South Asia region, China, the UN Secretary-General, heads of international organisations working on climate change, and multilateral aid agencies, among others.

“We are busy in preparations,” said Maheshwar Dhakal, member-secretary of the organising committee. The event will generate momentum among nations and institutions working on climate change.

The event aims to develop a common understanding of the impact of climate change on mountainous countries, advocate for climate justice for those bearing the brunt of carbon emissions, and develop bilateral and multilateral partnerships for climate finance and technological advancements. It will also take initiative for the inclusion of mountainous countries in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dialogue process.

The government plans to invite heads of state and government, as well as ministers for forest, environment and climate change of mountain and oceanic countries facing climate risks. Likewise, invitations will be extended to UN Secretary-General, heads and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), (UNFCCC), UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Likewise, those from UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Habitat, UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are also being invited.

Another list of invitees includes heads and representatives of various international organizations working in the field of climate change, like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Climate Analytics and Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development (TERI)

Other such organisations are Regional Community Forestry Training Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) and Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Innovative Solutions to Climate Change (CAS), Practical Action, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and Mission East.

Also on the list are invitees from World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB ), Conservation International-USA, National Geographic, top-tier climate research institutes/universities, as well as celebrities/sports personalities/social media influencers working on climate change, mountains and mountaineering.

Besides international participants, the government will invite several stakeholders from within the country, like representatives of the federal, provincial and local governments; members of parliament, heads of NGOs, representatives from the private sector, media, among others.

The government has already formed a 13-member directive committee under by Prime Minister Oli, with members including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, Minister for Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shai Thakuri, Minister of State for Forest and Environment Rupa BK, vice chairman of the National Planning Commission, chief secretary and chief adviser to the prime minister.

Other members will be economic and development adviser to the prime minister, chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, chairman of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries, and chairman of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce. A secretary at the PMO will serve as member secretary of the committee.

Similarly, Foreign Minister Deuba heads the 11-member management committee, which includes ministers, government secretaries, and experts.

The management committee will finalise the template, time, venue for the Sambad. It will also finalise the list of invitees, including the chief guest, special guest, moderator, presenter, panelists, and participants. Also, it will arrange funds, technical sources and logistics, form different committees for publicity, security, and programme management; coordinate with the international community and development partners; and select an event management company to organise the Sambad.

The concept paper also envisions a publicity committee, which will be headed by a joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with members including the director general at the Department of Information Technology, undersecretaries at the Ministry of Forests and Ministry of information and Information Technology, and a representative from the Press Council.

Other responsibilities assigned to the management committee include regularly updating the Sagarmatha Sambad website, posting materials related to the event on social media, recruiting human resource for Sambad’s secretariat, mobilising experts who can engage youth in connection with the event, forming an expert panel, and appointing personalities from the cultural sector as goodwill ambassadors.