Nepal’s Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, left for Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday to attend the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. Organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the conference is focused on the role of space applications in supporting sustainable development across the region. Shrestha is scheduled to address the conference.
Nepal’s participation in the regional conference
Shrestha’s planned address places Nepal among the participants in a ministerial-level discussion focused on space applications and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. The conference’s title links the use of space applications with development priorities across the region, while its ministerial format provides a setting for participation by government representatives. Further details about the timing of Shrestha’s address or the subjects he will cover were not provided in the available reports.
The minister’s trip comes as regional cooperation on climate and geo-disaster mitigation is also being highlighted in coverage of his participation. A report by Ratopati says Shrestha stressed the need for regional cooperation in those areas. That emphasis connects the conference’s regional scope with shared concerns that cross national borders, although the available information does not specify particular proposals or commitments he is expected to present.
Space applications and sustainable development
The meeting is organized by ESCAP, the United Nations body named in the conference announcement, and is specifically dedicated to space applications for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. The conference’s stated scope makes the connection between technology and development its central theme. The available reports do not identify particular technologies, projects, or policy measures on the agenda, so the focus of Shrestha’s address has not been detailed beyond his scheduled participation.
The conference’s regional framing is significant to the subject matter described in the reports: Shrestha’s reported call for cooperation concerns climate and geo-disaster mitigation, while the conference is designed around sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. His participation offers a platform for Nepal to engage in that ministerial discussion. However, no specific bilateral meetings, agreements, or outcomes involving the minister were reported in the information available ahead of the conference.
Minister scheduled to address delegates
Shrestha’s departure for Bangkok was reported on Tuesday, with his address identified as part of his conference schedule. A report by Khabarhub also said he had left to attend the gathering. The reports do not provide the text of his planned remarks or indicate whether he will attend other official events during the visit.
The conference gives Nepal’s energy, water resources and irrigation minister a role in a regional forum whose agenda is described in terms of space applications and sustainable development. The related focus on cooperation for climate and geo-disaster mitigation adds a regional dimension to his participation. Any assessment of the visit’s results will depend on the remarks delivered and any outcomes announced by the conference, details that were not included in the reports available at the time of his departure.
