KATHMANDU, April 7: The International Relations and Global Diplomacy Dialogue (IRGDD) in collaboration with the Government of Nepal organized the Pre-Sagarmatha Sambaad in Kathmandu to discuss the impact of climate change on the Himalayas and humanity.
Speaking at the event on Monday, Minister of State for Forests and Environment Rupa BK said the Sagarmatha Sambaad represents a global initiative aimed at environmental protection and support for low-carbon-emission communities. “Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change and the government is working to address it,” she said. The main Sagarmatha Sambaad is scheduled for May 16 to 18.
IRGDD Chairperson and former ambassador Sharmila Parajuli Dhakal said the dialogue was organized to highlight the connection between the Himalayas and human life. “The climate crisis is a Himalayan crisis. This conversation must take center stage in the global climate discourse,” she said, adding that there will be three series under the Pre-Sagarmatha Sambaad.
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Notable speakers included Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD; Dr Popular Gentle, former climate advisor to the Prime Minister; former Finance Secretary Madhu Marasini; mountaineer Dawa Tashi Sherpa; former FNCCI President Chandi Raj Dhakal and team leader at Green Hydrogen Lab Dr Biraj Singh Thapa.
Dr Gyamtsho stressed the urgency for Himalayan communities to reclaim their relationship with nature. “Black carbon has blanketed the snow, and the mountains continue to suffer. The dialogue must address Himalayan climate concerns and carbon finance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Gentle criticized the absence of a permanent climate negotiation team and the lack of experts in Nepal. “We don’t have a stable negotiating team, and we lack experts from multiple sectors. This is also a youth agenda,” he said.
Former Finance Secretary Marasini emphasized the need to establish the Sagarmatha Sambaad as an international platform, noting that the government has allocated 6 percent of the federal budget for climate action, with plans to increase it to 20 percent by 2028.
Similarly, Chandi Raj Dhakal expressed willingness to support the dialogue and work with the SAARC Chamber of Commerce.
Dr Thapa said that Nepal spends Rs 400 billion annually on fossil fuel imports and suggested that green hydrogen could help the country become energy self-sufficient. “Cement factories could run on hydrogen, but government policy is essential,” he said.
Likewise, IRGDD announced that it will submit the recommendations from the Pre-Sagarmatha Sambaad to the Sagarmatha Sambaad Secretariat.
