Kathmandu, May 2
In a unified call for climate justice, over 500 participants representing grassroots movements, civil society organisations, and marginalised communities will gather in Kathmandu on May 4 for the People’s Forum on Sagarmatha Sambaad.
According to a press statement released by People’s Forum, the forum will spotlight the climate crisis’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, including Indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers, children, persons with disabilities, and mountain communities.
Held just ahead of the international Sagarmatha Sambaad 2025, the People’s Forum aims to ensure the concerns of frontline communities are not sidelined in high-level climate discussions. Through thematic panels, inclusive dialogues, and firsthand testimonies, the forum seeks to influence global climate policy with a bottom-up approach.
Geeta Pandey of the People’s Forum Secretariat emphasised that the event will culminate in a formal People’s Forum Declaration, capturing key demands and solutions. This declaration will be tabled at the Sagarmatha Sambaad to represent community voices.
Thakur Bhandari, Chairperson of Federation of Community-Forestry User’s Group (FECOFUN) stressed the need for climate action that is “fair, equitable, inclusive, and just,” while Devi Khadka, Secretary-General of the NGO Federation of Nepal called the forum a crucial space for mountain communities to share their challenges and strategies for resilience.
