Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, presented on non-tariff measures facing select least developed (LDCs) countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the context of LDC graduation at the First Asia-Pacific Biennial Review of the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022–2031, organized by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Royal Government of Cambodia in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia on 4-5 December 2024. Policymakers and experts from the region gathered at the review meeting.

Mr. Kshitiz Dahal, Senior Research Officer, participated at the 2024 Australasian Aid Conference at Crawford School of Public Policy, Canberra, organized by Australian National University (co-organized by the Asia Foundation). He made a presentation about "The political economy of debt in South Asia" at the panel discussion held on 4 December. Mr. Dahal talked about the political economy of rising public debt in the region, focusing on Nepal. 

Ms Dikshya Singh, Programme Coordinator of SAWTEE, participated in the Eighth South and South-West Asia Forum on Sustainable Development, co-hosted by the NITI Aayog of the Government of India and ESCAP, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India from 12—14 November 2024 in New Delhi, India. The forum offered a unique opportunity for multiple stakeholders to exchange information and reflections on SDG implementation efforts in countries and to draw common priorities and issues across the South and South-West Asia subregion. The outcomes and recommendations from the Forum will feed into regional and global processes, including the abovementioned APFSD and HLPF in the following year. Ms Singh also participated as a panellist at the side event ’Addressing the Digital Divide for Women in South and South-West Asia’ that discussed the key barriers women in South and South-West Asia face in accessing digital technologies and the urgent interventions required to bridge this divide. 

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, participated in "Expert Group Meeting on the Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report 2025" on 20 November 2024. In particular, he provided comments on the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, attended the 27th Sustainable Development Conference in Islamabad, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan, 4-7 November  2024. He spoke on regional cooperation potential and on public debt. He pointed out that recent developments in the region -- the emphatic public statements in support of SAARC coming from the new government in Bangladesh, the Indian foreign minister’s visit to Islamabad to attend the Shangai Cooperation Organization meet, and the Sino-Indian border deal -- could augur well for the prospect of reviving SAARC. He said SAARC Agriculture Centre is a natural body to find a regional approach to tackling the crossborder spillovers of crop residue burning.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, spoke as a panellist in a webinar on the Political Economy of Debt, organized by Arutha, a Sri Lankan think tank, on 28 October 2024. Dr. Kharel drew on SAWTEE’s study on Nepal’s public debt, and synthesis paper on the public debt experiences of Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

SAWTEE’s researchers Ms. Dikshya Singh and Mr. Kshitiz Dahal participated in panel discussions organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in partnership with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretariat and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) during their event titled ‘Shaping a Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food System in the BIMSTEC Region’ in Bangkok, Thailand on 3-4 October 2024. The platform aimed to bridge the gap between research and policy, ensuring that data-driven insights contribute to more effective agricultural transformation and policies in BIMSTEC countries.

Ms. Dikshya Singh, Programme Coordinator, SAWTEE, spoke in a panel on the virtual launch of the OECD’s Multilateral Development Finance 2024 Report (MDFR) organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Read More

Many countries witnessed a surge in their public debt levels after the COVID-19 pandemic and hence public debt issues were once again at the forefront. South Asian nations also saw a rise in their public debt levels. Unsustainable public debt led Sri Lanka to default on its sovereign debt in April 2022 and Pakistan witnessed severe difficulties in servicing its debt. Nepal, while not witnessing any imminent debt crisis, has, nonetheless, seen a meteoric rise in its public debt stock. Against this background, the report “The Political Economy of Debt” presents national studies on public debt in three South Asian countries—Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Read More