Sagarmatha Sambaad: Inaugural and plenary sessions conclude

Kathmandu, May 16: The inaugural and the plenary sessions of the much-anticipated Sagarmatha Sambaad (a multi-stakeholder dialogue that kicked off here today have been successfully completed.     

Foreign Minister and Dialogue Management Committee Chairperson Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba informed through a 'media briefing' organized at the Dialogue venue that both sessions were successfully concluded.     

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli unveiled the banner of the Sagarmatha Sambaad and officially inaugurated the dialogue.     

In his inaugural statement on the occasion, PM Oli highlighted the importance of the Sagarmatha Sambaad, especially as the world faces many pressing challenges including climate change. He emphasized the 'power of dialogue' to address the challenges.     

Before addressing the Opening Session, the Prime Minister officially unveiled the government's Nationally Determined Contribution (Third NDC) and handed it over to Mukhtar Babayev, the President of COP-29.     

Foreign Affairs Minister Rana had delivered the welcome statement.     

President of COP 29 and the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mukhtar Babayev, delivered his main speech mentioning the various dimensions of climate change and highlighting the necessary options and solutions to address its impact on mountains.     

Similarly, India's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav highlighted many impacts of climate change in the mountains and beyond, as stated by Minister Dr. Rana.     

Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Republic of China, Xiao Jie, emphasized the serious impacts of climate change while addressing the session.     

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also addressed the session through a video message.     

The opening session of the dialogue was successfully concluded with remarks from distinguished leaders, policymakers, experts, and other stakeholders from various countries.     

After that, a plenary session was held following the framework of the international conference. In the session, representatives from participating countries, and international and regional organizations expressed their views on the central theme of the dialogue.     

The session was chaired by Minister Dr. Rana.     

A total of 19 delegates (13 national and six from regional and international organizations) addressed various aspects of climate change, mountains, and the future of humanity in their statements.     

Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, India, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan were present in the national delegations. International and regional organizations include the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and ICIMOD.     

The Egyptian ambassador to Nepal, Noha Hamdy Ahmed ElGebaly, stated that it is necessary to include local climate finance, water replenishment, and biodiversity conservation, as well as climate-smart agricultural adaptation in the national climate adaptation strategy.     

Advisor to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh, Sharmeen Soneya Murshid; Bhutan's Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, Gem Tshering; the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister), Baroness Susan Hayman; and the UAE's Assistant Foreign Minister for Energy and Sustainabilty Affairs, Abdullah Balalaa, had expressed their views.     

Similarly, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Akiko Ikuina, India's Additional Secretary (Deputy Minister) Amandeep Garg, and Special Envoy and Deputy Minister for Climate Change Affairs, and Qatar's Badar Omar Al Dafa expressed their views.     

Likewise, Special Representative of the President of Kyrgyzstan for implementation of the Five Years of Action for Development of Mountain Regions, Dinara Kemelova; Ambassador of Brazil to Nepal, Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog; Ambassador of Oman to Nepal, Issa bin Saleh Al Shibani; and Ambassador Abrar H. Hashmi of Pakistan addressed the plenary session.     

Among the representatives of regional and international organizations putting their views in the plenary session were Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana; the Regional Vice President of the World Bank for South Asia, Martin Raiser; the Vice President of the Asian Development Bank, Fatima Yasmin; the SAARC Secretary-General, Ambassador Mohammad Golam Sarwar; BIMSTEC Secretary-General Indra Mani Pandey; and the Director General of ICIMOD, Pema Gyamtso.     

Foreign Minister Dr Rana had chaired the plenary session.(RSS)