Sagarmatha Sambaad from today

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 16: The much-awaited Sagarmatha Sambaad (Everest Dialogue) is going to begin here on Friday. 

The three-day Sambaad will see 350 participants from home and abroad.

Prime Minister and the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Sambaad KP Sharma Oli will deliver the inaugural speech, while Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba will deliver the welcome remarks. 

At least 175 foreign guests are participating in the Sambaad being held under the theme “Climate Change, Mountain and the Future of Humanity” and with the aim of facilitating communication, discussions and actionable solutions to the global challenges of climate change.

On the eve of the Sagarmatha Sambaad, Prime Minister Oli launched a book entitled, “Climate Calamity: Justice for Loss and Damage” authored by Dr. Gopal Krishna Shivakoti on Saturday. 

 Addressing the book launch programme, Prime Minister Oli stressed the need for collective action to protect human life and the future of the Earth in light of rising temperatures and pollution on the planet. He also stressed the importance of working to ensure a safe and dignified future for coming generations.

“The Earth is getting hotter, and the environment is becoming more polluted, placing human life and the beautiful future of our world in jeopardy. At such a time, we must work to safeguard a secure and dignified human life and a beautiful future,” said Prime Minister Oli. “Our future generations must be safe and respected. Their faces should reflect joy and laughter.” He also said that he would incorporate the key findings and insights related to climate justice from various studies and reports them into his address during the Sagarmatha Sambaad.

The event was also addressed by Tap Bahadur Magar, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, former Foreign Minister Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, NHRC member Dr. Surya Dhungel and climate expert Manjil Dhakal.  During the inauguration ceremony on Friday, delegates from India and China, as well as the President’s Climate Envoy of Azerbaijan, who also serves as the COP-29 Chair, will address the gathering. 

An audio-visual message from the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also be presented.

Similarly, Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Xiao Jie, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), People’s Republic of China, will also address the inauguration ceremony.

Meanwhile, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Fatima Yasmin, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President for Sectors, Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC, and Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC will also present their statement at the programme. 

The Sambaad will be concluded on Sunday by issuing the Kathmandu Declaration.