River Conference

Rivers As Lifeline for South Asia

On 15 March 2023, a regional conference on Rivers as Lifeline for South Asia is going to be organized at the Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kathmandu, Samriddhi Foundation and the German Nepal-Friendship Association.

The main objective of the conference is to foster regional dialogue and to build networks of stakeholders in order to strengthen regional cross-border cooperation. During the conference, experts will deliberate on the challenges and opportunities offered by shared rivers and ways to promote river diplomacy and multilateral cooperation in order to prevent potential conflicts over water resources and contribute to peaceful co-existence. The conference will engage in conversation with multiple stakeholders such as Hydrology experts, politicians, journalists, activists, academicians, organizations and civil society.

14 speakers from 8 Asian Countries as well as from Europe and the Tibetan community will be attending the event. The conference will also welcome 3 south Asian experts to give remarks on the potential and challenges of regional cooperation on river resources. They will also be discussing the issue of climate change and the importance of regional cooperation to mitigate its impact in south Asia.

There will be 3 interactive sessions to discuss various topics such as Transboundary Water Cooperation and Hydro-Politics, River and Economy: Agriculture, Energy and Trade and the Future of Rivers and the Impact of Climate Change.