Nepali Congress General Secretary and Member of Parliament, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, organized and invited a special dialogue titled “Climate Change, Himalayan Life, and Expectations from the Government” today at Sagarmatha Base Camp. The event was attended by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Pande, who had traveled to the base camp upon Sharma’s invitation, according to Sharma’s secretariat.
Nepal
The dialogue began by honoring Kami Rita Sherpa, a record-holding mountaineer who has summited Everest 31 times. During the event, climber Babu Sherpa read out a 16-point list of immediate and long-term actions that the government needs to take, reflecting the concerns of the local community.
After a five-day trek from Lukla, Sharma has been actively engaging with relevant ministers to draw attention to the challenges faced by residents and mountaineers in the Himalayan region, while also undergoing climbing training this week.
Home Minister Lekhak expressed the current government’s serious commitment to addressing climate change and issues related to Himalayan livelihoods. Similarly, Tourism Minister Pandey pledged to actively implement the 16-point agenda for overall tourism sector development.
Sharma emphasized the urgent need for government focus on communication towers, porter insurance, and security units at the base camp. He also stressed Nepal’s role as a small nation to lead pressure on larger carbon-emitting countries to reduce emissions.
The program included inputs from renowned climbers such as Kami Rita Sherpa, Dr. Ashish Paudel, Mingma Chiring Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, and Pasang Bhote, who all called for special government plans to resolve the crises faced by the Sagarmatha region.
