Students at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organised one of the most ambitious gatherings of Nepali policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, and diaspora stakeholders in recent memory this weekend, concluding the inaugural edition of The Nepal Discourse on Sunday.

The two-day convening brought together more than 50 speakers and nearly 400 participants — including at least 35 delegates who travelled from Nepal — across 16 panels and plenary sessions organised around four broad themes: artificial intelligence and the future of work, next-generation leadership, resilient institutions, and the role of the global Nepali diaspora.

Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle opened the conference virtually, underscoring the importance of connecting global Nepali expertise to Nepal’s long-term development.

Speakers included Pukar C Hamal, founder and CEO of SecurityPal; Sameer Maskey, founder of the AI company Fusemachines; Michael Foley, CEO of the telecom company Ncell; Swastika Shrestha, CEO of Teach for Nepal; Peter Blair, a professor at Harvard; David Sislen, the World Bank’s director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka; Member of Parliament Pukar Bam; Rahul Agrawal, chairman of Siddhartha Bank; Rashik Adhikari, founder and CEO of Renegade Insurance; and Karvika Thapa, CEO of Kimbu Tech, among others.

Central to the discussions was the question of how Nepal can build a competitive advantage in an AI-driven economy while strengthening institutional credibility and better leveraging its diaspora networks.

Organisers said conversations from the weekend would inform the development of a document called Strategic Foresight 2035, intended as a long-term roadmap to translate ideas from the convening into concrete pathways. The programme was organised with support from the Leadership Academy Nepal and the Kantipur Media Group.

Arun Joshi, founder and CEO of Leadership Academy Nepal, reflecting at the close of the conference, described the ambition behind the platform: connecting “the most brilliant next generation of leaders” with the intellectual and financial resources of the diaspora in service of Nepal’s development. Organisers said they intend to make The Nepal Discourse a recurring event.