Sagarmatha Sambaad

Sagarmatha Sambaad is a joint dialogue forum initiated by the Government of Nepal, designed to bring together global leaders and experts to discuss pressing challenges. The focus of the Sagarmatha Sambaad lies on crucial concerns such as climate change, environmental protection, sustainable development, and other related issues.

“Sagarmatha” refers to the Nepali name for Mount Everest, which symbolizes Nepal’s identity across the world. “Sambad” means dialogue. The first episode of the “Sagarmatha Sambaad” was originally scheduled from 2 to 4 April 2020. However, due to the COVID pandemic, it was postponed. The Sambaad is now rescheduled for 16 to 18 May 2025 in Kathmandu, Nepal, beginning Friday.  The theme of the first dialogue is “Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity”.

Top delegates, including China’s Xiao Jie, India’s Bhupendra Yadav, COP 29 president, and ministers from Bhutan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, are attending this 3-day special program. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will inaugurate the dialogue forum, which will feature topics of discussion regarding the impacts of climate change that Nepal and a number of other countries around the world are facing.

sagarmatha sambaad

The discussions will further include a high-level session on collaboration among ministers from the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region and multi-stakeholder roundtable discussions on issues such as ecosystem services, climate-induced disasters, risk reduction, the ‘recognise, respect, and reward’ approach, as well as innovative climate and carbon financing.

According to the Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, 350 national and international delegations are expected to participate in this Sagarmatha Sambaad. “This is a platform to deliberate, discuss, and deliver on the most pressing challenges of our time – climate change, economic instability, rising inequality, AI and technological disruption, public health threats, disasters, and the peace we seek to preserve across our world,” Prime Minister Oli said on Thursday, the eve of the event.

“Just look around. Our bare mountains, receding glaciers, loss of biodiversity, erratic weather patterns, and rising sea levels. These signs are unmistakable. Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It’s real and happening now, affecting us all,” added the Prime Minister in his message.

Following the inauguration by the Prime Minister on Friday, a series of parallel sessions will be held on 12 different themes till Saturday. According to the Sagarmatha Sambad’s website, after the conclusion of the 12 sessions, 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.

The order of the program will be held as an Opening session, followed by a Plenary session, then 12 parallel sessions, and finally the conclusion session to end the 3-day event.

On Sunday, some delegates will be taken to Sagarmatha, followed by side events focusing on the triple planetary crisis – air pollution, loss of biodiversity, and climate change. These consecutive sessions will conclude in the unveiling of the Sagarmatha Sambad Declaration. After the closing of the session, some delegates will visit the Vajra Academy, an eco-friendly school, which is also referred to as Nepal’s model green school, in Godawari, Lalitpur.

The Sagarmatha Sambaad session is being held at The Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu.

Conclusion

Sagarmatha Sambaad aims to become a permanent global forum, occurring every two years, fostering key cooperation and exchanging knowledge on global issues like climate justice, biodiversity, environmental preservation, and peace that require our immediate attention. The importance of Sagarmatha Sambaad highlights Nepal’s leadership in global climate and environmental discourse.

Sagarmatha Sambaad stands as a bold initiative by Nepal to unite the global community in addressing some of the most urgent and pressing challenges of our time. This high-level global dialogue forum provides a crucial platform for inclusive, multilateral discussion and cooperative action towards the preservation of nature for our future generations.

At Access Nepal Tour and Trekking, we too have our goals and aspirations set towards environmental preservation and promotion. With our motto of Responsible Tourism that we implement in our adventures, we try to contribute to making Nepal and its unique landmarks stay preserved for the future.