Preparations for 'Sagarmatha Sambaad' accelerated

Prime Minister  Mr. KP Sharma Oli, at the Announcement of Sagarmatha Sambaad on the occasion of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 21 January 2025, Sagarmatha Hall, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Singha Darbar Kathmandu, Nepal. (Sagarmatha Sambad/File)

Kathmandu, March 3 — Preparations for 'Sagarmatha Sambaad' have been accelerated. The multi-stakeholder dialogue forum is being organized here on the theme 'Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity'. It is committed to deliberate on the most prominent issues of global, regional and national significance.

The 'Sagarmatha Sambaad' is scheduled from May 16-18 with an objective of highlighting the problems facing by mountainous and costal countries due to climate change.

The first meeting of a management committee, formed for the preparation of the 'Sambaad,' on Sunday decided to invite head of the nation and government of mountainous and costal countries, experts working in the climate research sector, representatives of national and international private sectors and influential figures.   

The committee formed under the coordination of Foreign Minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba has prepared the format for the arrangement of infrastructures and programmes for 'Sagarmatha Sambad', said contact person of the Sambad and joint-secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Maheshwor Dhakal. 

The committee also took the decision to form an expert committee comprising 16 experts of different sectors as well as publicity and coordination committee under coordination of joint-secretary of the Foreign Ministry. 

The meeting decided to request the partner organization for demonstration of good practices to mitigate impacts of climate change. 

According to Dhakal, dialogue would be held in province-level, preparatory dialogue on the issue of children and youths would be held, Foreign Ministry, Forest Ministry and Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers would assign the employees required for the 'Sagarmatha Sambad' and Sagarmatha Sambad Secretariat would be made active. 

Minister for Forests and Environment, Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, is the co-coordinator of the committee where Chief Secretary, officials of Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry, Home Ministry, National Planning Commission, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Alternative Energy Promotion Centre and National Trust for Nature Conservation are the members. 

Similarly, Forests secretary is the member-secretary of the Committee. 

The previous meeting of the Preparations Committee meeting was held on Magh 27 (February 9) in the presence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Inviting heads of the states or the heads of the governments from neighbouring India, China and

South Asian nationals to the Dialogue was the agenda of the meeting. 

Prime Minister Oli had on Magh 8, 2081 BS (January 21, 2025) declared to host the Dialogue in Kathmandu in the given date on the occasion of the 2025 International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. Though the event was planned during the first premiership of KP Oli in 2076 BS, it was postponed in the eleventh hour owing to Covid-19 pandemic.  

Secretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Deepak Kumar Kharal, stated that the event aims to amplify Nepal's voice on climate change, drawing international attention to the country's high vulnerability despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Through the Dialogue, Nepal will advocate for compensation for the losses it faces due to the climate crisis and for payment for its environmental services.

Despite the Paris Agreement's goal to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, projections indicate that the global temperature is expected to exceed by 1.8°C before 2050.

Several research studies suggest that this temperature rise could lead to the melting of two-thirds of the snow storage in the mountains.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dadhiram Bhandari, who is leading preparations for the event, said that the event is a top priority for the government. The event will highlight the consequences of climate change in Nepal's mountain regions, seeking common understanding both among the people in these regions and the international community about the impacts of climate crisis in the region.