Kathmandu [Nepal], May 16 (ANI): The first edition of multi-stakeholder dialogue forum Sagarmatha Sambaad began in Nepal on Friday. The country’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the three-day event in which he stressed on saving the mountains, which he noted was synonymous with saving the earth, oceans, and humanity as a whole.
Oli stressed the importance of global cooperation in addressing the climate crisis and claimed the global platform is for honest dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collective action in response to the growing environmental challenges that threaten all of humanity.
“The dialogue was born in the name of the highest peak, Mount Everest, to foster mutual understanding within our deeply interdependent world,” PM Oli said. “We hope this dialogue will rise as high as its name — with moral clarity, intellectual courage, and a shared vision for a better future.”
Highlighting the environmental hardships faced by Nepal, PM Oli noted, “Our homes are being swept away by landslides. Floods and droughts come suddenly. But we are still holding on. Our emissions are low, yet our contributions to environmental protection are significant.”
Addressing the event, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said that climate change is not only endangering the fate of humanity but also putting its future at serious risk.
Highlighting the global scope of the crisis, Minister Rana Deuba stated that climate change is no longer a regional or national issue but a threat to the entire human race. She stressed that the efforts of a single country are insufficient to address such a widespread and complex problem, calling instead for coordinated and collective global action.
Minister Rana underscored that the Sagarmatha Sambaad marks the beginning of such unified efforts. She said the dialogue draws inspiration from the Sanskrit phrase “Vade Vaade Jayate Tattvabodhah,” which promotes the discovery of truth through debate, discussion, and the sharing of diverse ideas and perspectives.
She noted that meaningful dialogue opens the door to reflection and introspection. With this year’s theme set as “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity,” Rana stressed the importance of identifying the threats posed by climate change and finding effective ways to respond.
Stating that both Nepal and the wider world face significant environmental risks, she warned that delays in honest dialogue and meaningful action could jeopardise not only the present but also the generations to come.
Addressing the inaugural session of the dialogue, India’s Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said, “The signs are clear our mountains are sounding the alarm as a consequence of global warming due to human activities, the glaciers are retraining, threatening the future of waters security for the population downstream. The unique and fragile biodiversity of high altitude ecosystem is under severe stress. The livelihood of the ancient culture of Mountain communities are threatened.”
In a post on X, Yadav stated, “Addressed the opening session of Sagarmatha Sambaad organised on the theme ‘Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity’ in Kathmandu, Nepal today. The Himalayas bear a significant part of the burden of the environmental crisis. We in India, with our significant Himalayan territory, witness these impacts first-hand.”
“India shares the concerns of the mountain States and their people. Our environmental futures are intrinsically linked. India, under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, is deeply committed to contributing to climate action with the urgency it demands, despite our minimal role for the crisis,” he added.
https://x.com/byadavbjp/status/1923252296684638521
The three-day event follows a series of parallel sessions that will be held on 12 different themes till Saturday. After these sessions conclude, a high-level session among ministers from the Hindu Kush region, and a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion with global and regional partners will be held on Saturday, according to the Sambad’s website.
The main theme of the event is “Climate change, mountains and the future of humanity”, and 350 national and international delegations are claimed to be participating.
Nepal plans to unveil the Sagarmatha Sambaad Declaration after the conclusion of these back-to-back sessions. After the closing session, some delegates will visit the Vajra Academy, an eco-friendly school, which is also known as Nepal’s model green school, in Lalitpur’s Godawari. (ANI)
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