There’s a Sanskrit saying, ‘‘", meaning -truth could be revealed through discourses. We are going back to our tradition of discussing, reflecting, and thinking to generate knowledge and promote common ideas in order to contribute to harmony, peace, progress and prosperity of the humankind.
In today’s interconnected world, there is even bigger need for dialogue for addressing common problems. Climate change, for example, has not resulted only from how we’ve led our lives. It is the result of the actions of global community as a whole. Therefore, like the problem itself, we also need to put our minds together for coming up with solutions.
Nepal has put in place a new democratic system following the uniquely home-grown peace process. We have taken steps to institutionalize inclusive democracy. Our focus is now on socio-economic transformation. We want to share our experiences and learn from others. We are therefore organizing this dialogue to search for solutions for global problems which have also affected us. Keeping in mind our own unique context and experiences, as well as our location as a neutral venue, between the two emerging global economic and political powers, we believe that the initiative of the dialogue, now, makes a good sense.
It is in this context that the first Sagarmatha Sambaad or, dialogue, is being held in Nepal on 2nd to 4thApril this year. The theme of this year’s dialogue is Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity.
Climate change is a global problem but has very localized and disproportionate implications for countries and societies. Like other mountain, as well as island and coastal countries, we are more vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. We are facing instances of increased warming at high altitudes, melting of snow and glaciers, floods and droughts. To address this crisis, we will work towards reducing emissions and take other innovative measures. At the same time, we also encourage the world to do the same to stabilize the global average temperatures.
We also see climate change as not only a crisis but also an opportunity for rethinking our model of development and make new invest mentsby exploring transformational solutions that combine new technologies with traditional knowledge and nature-based practices.
SagarmathaSambaad will bring global leaders including heads of state/government, ministers, parliamentarians, policy makers, experts, business community, civil society and media to discuss the issues in 12 carefully planned panels. The discussions will be open and interactive to enable free flow of ideas. The dialogue will seek to generate common ideas and promote renewed and enhanced political will and commitments on the climate agenda from the participants, including political leaders.
We look forward to welcoming participants from around the world and having fruitful deliberations, in order to jointly come up with innovative ideas for tackling the common challenges faced by the humanity.