The Fourteenth South Asia Economic Summit (SAES XIV) concluded with an emphasis on the need to strengthen regional
cooperation in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Summit organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on 4-5 November 2023
brought together key stakeholders of South Asia’s integration and also experts and scholars from beyond the region
who worked on the issues of interest and concern to South Asia. The Summit, with its overarching theme “Reframing
South Asian Regional Cooperation in the New Context National and Global Dimensions”, stressed the urgent need to
rethink the modalities of South Asian cooperation, taking into cognisance the new developments – both within and
outside the region – which have implications for intra-regional cooperation in South Asia.
As one of the co-organizers, SAWTEE also participated in the SAES XIV. SAWTEE’s team, comprising Dr. Posh Raj Pandey,
Chairman, Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, Ms. Dikshya Singh, Programme Coordinator and Mr. Kshitiz Dahal,
Senior Research Officer, participated in the sessions where they discussed new challenges and opportunities for
regional cooperation in the changing geo-strategic contexts, regional cooperation in building climate change
resilience, cross-border labour management, and prospects of currency union among others.
The Nepali delegation consisted of Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada, Former Finance Minister, Dr. Swarnim Wagle, former Vice
Chairman, National Planning Commission, former secretaries Mr. Madhu Raman Acharya and Dr Durga Bhattarai, Dr.
Biswas Gauchan, Executive Director, Institute of Integrated Development Studies, Prof. Dr. Govind Raj Pokharel,
former Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission, Dr. Shankar Shrestha, Executive Director, Nepal Development
Research Insitute, Dr. Rudra Suwal, Senior Research Specialist, Nepal Development Research Insitute, and Ms. Neeru
Rayamajhi Khatri, immediate past President, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal. For more
information, click
here.