President Ramchandra Paudel will lead the Nepali delegation to the Second World Summit for Social Development to be held in Qatar on November 4-6.

“The President is attending the summit, and preparations are underway for his visit to Qatar,” said Lok Bahadur Paudel Kshetri, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The summit is being organised after 30 years. The first summit was held in Denmark in 1995. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari represented Nepal at the summit.

The Doha summit is being jointly organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Government of Qatar.

According to UN DESA, the United Nations General Assembly, through resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, decided to convene the World Social Summit in 2025 under the title “Second World Summit for Social Development.” Convened at the level of heads of state or government, the summit aims to address the gaps and recommit to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The summit will be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha from November 4-6, and pre-summit events on November 3, according to the organisers’ website.

A small team will accompany President Paudel in Doha. An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Post that the delegation will include a dozen members. Besides the President and his spouse Sabita; secretary at the President’s Office; President’s daughter Abagya Paudel; President’s Press Advisor Kiran Pokharel; joint secretary at foreign ministry Krishna Prasad Dhakal; Chief of Protocol Kumar Raj Kharel; two foreign ministry officials; two ADCs to the President; and President's doctor will accompany him to Qatar. Officials from Nepal's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York will also participate.

Previously, the immediate past prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, was set to lead the Nepali delegation to the summit, but he was toppled by last month’s anti-corruption Gen Z movement, which saw more than 70 people, mostly youths, dead.

“The visit will add value to bilateral relations as well [Qatar being the host], alongside multilateral engagement,” said Kshetri.

Likewise the government has decided to send Minister for Agriculture Madan Pariyar to lead the country at the 30th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP30) in Brazil. The summit will run from November 10-21.

Officials had advised Prime Minister Sushila Karki to attend the COP30, but she declined, a senior official at the Prime Minister's Office said. After her decision, Minister Pariyar was chosen to represent Nepal at the global climate conference. Preparations to send a small team are underway, according to officials.

Historically, either the President or the prime minister has led Nepal’s delegation to the global climate conference.

Last year, President Paudel led the Nepali delegation to COP29, where Nepal had raised issues like climate action, climate finance, loss and damage, and climate justice. Nepal’s delegation had focussed on promoting climate justice for vulnerable nations, advocating for climate finance and technology transfer, as well as addressing issues like loss and damage, mountain climate impacts, and adaptation strategies.

This time Nepal will present the outcome of Sagarmatha Sambad conference, which was held in May in Kathmandu, among other topics at COP30, officials told the Post.