Nepal National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (NENCID) NENCID Talk Program: Irrigation & Drainage Talk Series
Episode#21: What does UN 2023 Water Conference Mean to Nepal?
Type: Panel Discussion
Date: Tuesday, 30 Falgun, 2079 BS (14th March, 20223 AD) | Time: 8:00 – 9:30 PM NST (+5:45 GMT)
Context: The UN Water Conference is being held second time in the history, after the first one held in 1977. Government of Nepal is also preparing to participate and organize a side event which is already approved. In the context, with the aim of proving input to the government-level delegates to have a meaningful participation and presence in the conference, 21st Episode of Irrigation & Drainage Talk Series of NENCID is organizing a panel discuss on the theme of “What does UN 2023 Water Conference Mean to Nepal?”. The goal of the proposed event is to synthesize some ideas on prioritizing agenda and identify areas of focus that the government should consider; utilizing past experiences of involvement in international negotiations and dialogues; and highlight the preparatory aspects for making the presence in the Conference impactful.
Key questions: The panel discussion will focus around following key questions
- Prioritizing contents/agenda of Nepal in the conference
- Utilizing past experience of involvement in similar processes
- Preparedness for impactful participation for positioning Nepal’s priorities with the global community
Panelists
Mr. Ajaya Dixit, a renowned water resources expert, is senior advisor at Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET–Nepal). A senior fellow at South Asia Watch on Trade and Environment, he is a visiting Professor at Kathmandu School of Law, Previously, Mr. Dixit has held positions at Institute of Engineering, Kathmandu and as chair of Nepal Water for Health among others. He has published extensively in journals and is author of Basic Water Science, the book that attempts integration of natural and social sciences of water. Mr. Dixit’s research interests include water resource management, river health, political economy of irrigation and hydro-electricity. He has worked on issues of energy development and debates on dams. His current research involves disaster risk management, mainstreaming of climate resilience and adaptation from systemic perspective. He currently curates the digital platform South Asia Nadi
Dr. Kumud Acharya, the President of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) since September 2020, leads over 450 scientists, engineers, and research support staff who rank among the top in the world in their specialties. As a research professor in ecological engineering, Dr. Acharya has led pioneering work to help local and state water managers in Navada address aquatic invasive species threatening lakes. His 20-plus years of environmental study have blended both traditional research on the health of rivers, lakes and wetlands, with applied research to better understand the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems across Nevada and throughout the world. His academic excellency is demonstrated through over 100 peer-reviewed papers and contribution as an Associate Editor of reputed journals like Journal of Water Resources Research and Journal of American Water Resources Association.
Dr. Manohara Khadka is currently leading Nepal’s office of International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as a country representative. She is also the CGIAR Country Convenor for Nepal. Dr. Manohara Khadka is Country Representative at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Nepal. She is also the CGAIR County Convenor for Nepal. She is a natural resource management professional by training. She brings development cooperation, governance, research, people and programs management expertise in the water and natural resource sectors. She does social science research on policy, governance, gender and social inclusion issues of water, climate change and natural resources management. Prior to IWMI, Manohara was at the Embassy of Switzerland, Kathmandu looking after natural resources management portfolio and gender and social inclusion advisory roles. Dr Khadka received a master’s degree in Management of Natural Resources and Sustainable Agriculture from Norwegian University of Life Science, Norway, and a Ph.D. from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University, the Hague, the Netherlands. She has published extensively her work in peer reviewed journal articles, guidelines, policy briefs, and blogs.
Mr. Prakash Kumar Suvedi is a Former Ambassador of Nepal to Austria with concurrent accreditation to Slovenia, Croatia and Greece. He also served as permanent representative or Nepal to the United Nations Office in Vienna, to the UN Industrial Development Organization, and others. Mr. Suvedi joined Foreign Service of Nepal in 1988 and retired in 2022 after contributing in various capacities within Nepal and abroad. His services outside Nepal includes Nepalese embassies in Moscow (1995-1999), Riyadh (2005-2008), Copenhagen (2009-2013) and Vienna (2016-2020). He has extensive experience in the areas of International Relations, diplomacy, and governance.
Mr. Rajendra Kishore Kshatri is a former Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal. Since retiring from his three-decade-long tenure in government service in 2017, he has been lending his expertise as a freelance consultant. Additionally, he enjoyed, as a visiting faculty, lecturing young and capable law students of Kathmandu University on water and energy. Earlier he had also participated as a High-Level Debate Panelist on the Challenge of Improved Global Freshwater Governance and the UN International Watercourses Convention, held in Stockholm, Sweden from 17 Aug 2008 – 23 Aug 2008 during the World Water Week, 2008.
Mr. Suman Prasad Sharma is a Former Secretary of Government of Nepal who has served in several ministries including for Finance, Energy and Communication. He is by training an Environmental Engineer and by his sectoral expertise a WASH Expert. He joined the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage of Government of Nepal in 1984 and served in the WASH sector for more than 28 years. Mr. Sharma has participated and made presentations in several international forums for water and sanitation and water resource planning. He is currently working as a freelance consultant in water, energy and financial services for agencies like World Bank, ADB, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.