Sagarmatha Sambaad: A Global Dialogue for Climate Action
The climate crisis is real, and it is already upon us. It will persist unless we act urgently to address it.
The first edition of the Sagarmatha Sambaad concluded today in Kathmandu. The three-day event issued a 25-point “Sagarmatha Call for Action”, urging urgent climate action. The call emphasizes global unity, representing voices from the highest mountains to distant seas, and highlights the Sambaad as a platform for collaboration, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable nations.
Over the past three days, this premier flagship event brought together a diverse range of voices—from the highlands to the islands, from mountain communities to coastal nations, and from policymakers to scientists, youth, civil society representatives, and indigenous leaders. Spanning the opening ceremony, 12 dynamic parallel sessions, additional discussions, and a roundtable on global and regional partnerships, the event aimed to foster a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to addressing climate change.
Although heads of governments and states from other countries were unable to attend, the inaugural event saw significant participation from dignitaries worldwide. We must applaud the efforts of the Government of Nepal for successfully organizing the event, and I hope that the upcoming edition of the Sambaad will feature more high-level government representatives and eminent speakers.
The Secretariat of the Sagarmatha Sambaad also invited a select group of passionate creators and changemakers to join the event as Social Media Ambassadors for Sagarmatha Sambaad 2025 – Nepal’s global dialogue for a sustainable future. I was honored to be one of them. It was a fantastic experience meeting fellow social media influencers who, like me, were invited to promote the event and its outcomes to the public.
During the program, I had the incredible opportunity to meet ministers, senior government officials, diplomats, speakers, experts, and fellow participants from various countries. I did my best to raise issues that I believe are important, not only to me but to our generation. Through networking, discussions, and a field visit on the last day, I felt empowered and made every effort to amplify young voices.
By coincidence, on the eve of the Sagarmatha Sambaad (15 May 2025), a glacial lake burst in the remote Limi Valley of the western Karnali region, triggering a sudden landslide in the Himalayan region. The landslide struck Tilgaun in Ward No. 6 of Namkha Rural Municipality, displacing the entire settlement. I met a friend at the program who was from that village. It was heartbreaking to hear the unfolding stories from her, as she was receiving live updates from her family there. She also raised the issue during the program. In this context too, the theme of the first edition—“Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity”—was not only timely but highly significant.
Events such as landslides, erosion, irregular monsoons, and glacial lake outbursts have become increasingly frequent in Nepal, resulting in massive loss of human lives and property. The climate crisis is real, and it is already upon us. It will persist unless we act urgently to address it. Only renewed political will, innovative initiatives, investments, intergenerational equity, and collaborations at both regional and global scales can solve this issue.
A big thank you to the Government of Nepal for the invitation and for giving me the opportunity to amplify the voices of my generation, especially on the issue of climate change.
Sagarmatha Call for Action
The Sagarmatha Call for Action has been issued as the outcome document of the event. You can view all 25 points of the Sagarmatha Call for Action by following this link: https://sagarmathasambaad.org/sagarmatha-call-for-action.
About Sagarmatha Sambaad
The Sagarmatha Sambaad is a multi-stakeholder dialogue forum committed to deliberate on the most prominent issues of global, regional and national significance. As a platform, it brings together people from all walks of life from broader spectrum, having the stake, influence and capacity to shape and drive the discourse for positive change. The Sambaad (dialogue) is named after the world’s tallest mountain Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) which is also a symbol of friendship and is meant to promote the notions of common good and collective wellbeing of humanity. Sagarmatha, being the highest natural landmark on the earth, is also the tallest witness of the unfolding global events. (https://sagarmathasambaad.org/agarmatha-sambaad).