-Saroj Ojha

The Center for Diplomacy and Development (CDD) celebrated its 6th Anniversary on Monday with an interactive program focusing on LDC graduation and climate change issues. The event was held at Hotel Himalaya in Kupondole, Lalitpur, and was attended by government officials, ambassadors, representatives from diplomatic missions, economists, entrepreneurs, researchers, and other esteemed guests.

The highlight of the celebration was the cutting of the anniversary cake by Sewa Lamsal, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the occasion, a panel of experts discussed the challenges and opportunities for Nepal in terms of graduating from the LDC category and the impact of climate change, with a specific focus on the key takeaways from the recent Cop28 convention.

Foreign Secretary Lamsal emphasized the issues raised by Nepal during the convention and highlighted the initiatives taken by the Nepalese Prime Minister. Highlighting about the initiation taken by the Nepal government, Secretary Lamsal claimed that it has been working for trade facilitation, Economic diplomacy & Issues of climate changes in an coherent manner, aiming to the sustainable economic progressiveness & preservation of environment with high concern.

Trade expert and former Commerce Secretary Chandra Ghimire presented a PowerPoint presentation on the impact of LDC graduation on Nepal's economy, highlighting the potential hardships the country may face without the support and privileges provided to underdeveloped countries. Ghimire suggested investing more in the agriculture sector to ensure sustainable economic growth.

Dr. Maheshwor Adhikari, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Forest, focused on the climate change impacts on Nepal, emphasizing the country's vulnerability and high risk as a result of carbon emissions from neighboring countries such as China and India. Dr. Adhikari stressed the importance of allocating a substantial annual budget to the agriculture sector for Nepal's progress.

In addition to the expert presentations, Shankher Prasad Pandey, Bhawani Rana, Shanti Shakya, and other members of CDD voiced their opinions on the issues discussed. The event served as an important platform for dialogue and collaboration among various stakeholders to address the challenges Nepal faces in its journey towards LDC graduation and combating climate change.

Chair of the ceremony, Ambassador Mohan Krishna Shrestha, Founder President of CDD suggested Nepal government to take initiation on the issues of Climate changes & the LDC graduation with serious concern. He also claimed that Anniversary celebration of CDD proved to be a significant milestone in promoting diplomacy and development in Nepal.