Sagarmatha Sambaad: The inaugural and plenary sessions of the anticipated Sagarmatha Sambaad, a multi-stakeholder dialogue, have been successfully completed. Foreign Minister and Dialogue Management Committee Chairperson Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba announced the successful conclusion of both sessions at a media briefing organized at the dialogue venue.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli officially inaugurated the dialogue by unveiling the banner of the Sagarmatha Sambaad. In his statement, PM Oli underscored the importance of dialogue in addressing global challenges such as climate change. He also unveiled the government’s Nationally Determined Contribution (Third NDC) and presented it to Mukhtar Babayev, the President of COP-29.
Foreign Affairs Minister Rana delivered the welcome statement, while Mukhtar Babayev highlighted the various dimensions of climate change in his main speech. India’s Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav addressed the impacts of climate change on mountains. Vice Chairman of China’s Standing Committee, Xiao Jie, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also conveyed their messages to the session.
The event brought together distinguished leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from various countries. The plenary session followed the framework of an international conference, where representatives from participating countries and organizations discussed the central theme of the dialogue. Dr. Rana chaired the session, which saw contributions from 19 delegates addressing climate change, mountains, and humanity’s future.
National delegates included representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the UK, UAE, Japan, India, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan. International and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and ICIMOD also participated.
Egyptian Ambassador Noha Hamdy Ahmed ElGebaly emphasized the need for local climate finance and conservation strategies. Other notable speakers included Bangladesh’s Sharmeen Soneya Murshid, Bhutan’s Gem Tshering, UK’s Baroness Susan Hayman, UAE’s Abdullah Balalaa, Japan’s Akiko Ikuina, and India’s Amandeep Garg.
Additional contributions came from Qatar’s Badar Omar Al Dafa, Kyrgyzstan’s Dinara Kemelova, Brazil’s Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Oman’s Issa bin Saleh Al Shibani, and Pakistan’s Abrar H. Hashmi. Regional and international organization representatives included ESCAP’s Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, World Bank’s Martin Raiser, ADB’s Fatima Yasmin, SAARC’s Ambassador Mohammad Golam Sarwar, BIMSTEC’s Indra Mani Pandey, and ICIMOD’s Pema Gyamtso. The plenary session was chaired by Dr. Rana.