KATHMANDU, June 26: Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunawardena, Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Former Minister and Indian Emissary to the G20 & G7, Dr. Abdulla Rasheed Ahmed, Minister of State for Education, Maldives and Prof Dr Taniguchi Tomohiko, Professor, Keio University and Special Adviser to PM Shinzo Abe (retd.) inaugurated the three-day NIICE Global Conclave on Friday.
During his address, Sri Lankan Minister Dinesh Gunawardena appreciated Nepal’s role in mitigating climate change. He said, “While Sri Lanka appreciates the role of Nepal as a land-lock nation in the Himalayas against climate change, we wish to collectively further cooperate with strong commitment towards climate-friendly manners and for cleaner oxygen”.
He further highlighted that “The Sri-Lankan government is further willing to increase its ties with Nepal and all the nations around the world with constructive dialogue to further the interest of Sri Lanka on sustainable environment, development of human resources and prosperity.”
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Similarly, Minister of State for Education of the Maldives, Dr Abdulla Rasheed Ahmed said that all countries should take necessary imperatives to combat climate change. Highlighting the Green Schools of the Maldives, he called upon the members to “Think Globally and Act Locally” in order to mitigate the impact of climate change.
In his comprehensive address, Prof Dr Taniguchi Tomohiko, Professor, Keio University and Special Adviser to PM Shinzo Abe (retd.) emphasized the importance of the Indo-Pacific region. He laid out the Objectives of Japan's Foreign Policy as (1) Upholding the Core Values (2) Maintaining territorial integrity, and (3) Maintaining peace and security across the world. He went on to talk about the development of the concept of Indo-Pacific and highlighted that it is imperative for countries of the region to maintain a fine balance between their economic and strategic interest’s vis a vis China.
Referring to the current pandemic, former Indian Minister Suresh Prabhu highlighted how the world is facing an economic issue, issue of climate change, and a major public health crisis simultaneously. He focused on the interconnectedness of the world and said that India and Nepal were twin brothers that should work collaboratively through regional cooperation.
NIICE Global Conclave is a three-day event organized by Nepal Institute for International Cooperation which will host 220 speakers from 41 countries. The conclave is supported by 17 most prestigious universities and think tanks of the world where there are a number of sessions dealing with the foregin policies of Nepal, India and China, which are of relevance to Nepal. Apart from these, there are a number of sessions dealing with US foreign policy under the Biden Administration, fate of the Indo-Pacific Strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In total, there are 45 sessions also raising the issues related to security, regional cooperation, migration and other emerging issues.
