Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, spoke in a panel on Nepal’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) status in a workshop organized by NGO Federation of Nepal on 22 August 2024 in Kathmandu. Representatives of a variety of non-governmental organizations and the media participated in the programme, which also featured a keynote speech by the secretary of the National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal.

At the request of Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Government of Nepal, on 21 August 2024, Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, made a presentation on Nepal-US trade, with a focus on the agenda of extension and expansion of Nepal Trade Preference Programme (a duty-free market access facility), which is due to expire in December 2025. Present on the occasion at the ministry were the commerce secretary, other MoICS officials, private sector representatives and USAID representatives. A meeting of the council of Nepal-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) is slated for September 2024.

SAWTEE is delighted to announce an exciting fellowship opportunity for journalists in Nepal. The fellowship program will select two journalists who will have the opportunity to delve into trade and climate change nexus. This fellowship presents a unique opportunity for journalists to deepen their knowledge, expand their network, and contribute to the public’s understanding of critical issues at the intersection of trade and climate change.

FELLOWSHIP TIMELINE: 1 September–31 December 2024

APPLICATION PROCESS Click here

SAWTEE’s Programme Coordinator Dikshya Singh provides insights into different economic issues haunting Nepal’s economy at present along with the country’s leading experts in the July issue of Business 360 magazine. 

Read the full interview here: https://www.b360nepal.com/epaper/161

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, spoke on panels on BIMSTEC trade, investment and connectivity and "Sixth BIMSTEC Summit and way ahead" at the Third Bay of Bengal Economic Dialogue, organized by South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) and Chulalongkorn University, on 11-12 July 2024 in Bangkok. Speaking on the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), he highlighted the need for a trade adjustment mechanism to help weaker economies adjust to trade liberalization shocks; tackling non-tariff measures; a regional transit arrangement; and on-boarding observers to mobilize technical and financial resources.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, moderated a panel discussion on Nepal’s trade in large cardamom as part of a "National conference on large cardamom: Present status, opportunities and challenges" on 24 June 2024, organized by Federation of Large Cardamom Entrepreneurs Nepal (FLCEN) with support from Sahaj, CEAPRED and Swisscontact. The panelists included Mr. Indra Chand Bindal (FLCEN), Ms. Parbata Kharel Bimali (FLCEN), Mr. Rabindra Duwadi (Trade and Export Promotion Centre), Mr. Rajendra Sangraula (Nepal Freight Forwarders Association), and Mr. Naresh Lal Shrestha (Export Promotion Committee, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry).  Other participants included cardamom producers, exporters, policy makers, agriculture scientists, academics and journalists.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, spoke on geopolitics, trade and investment in a panel discussion held as part of "Symposium on Understanding Issues of Geopolitics, Economy and Stability for Development" on 8 June 2024 in Kathmandu, organized by Neeti Anusandhan Pratishthan, Nepal (NeNAP). Participants included economists, political scientists, students, academics, journalists and security experts.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, presented the findings of Nepal Development Finance Assessment 2024 at a workshop organized by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of Nepal (GoN), and UNDP, Nepal on 4 June 2024 in Kathmandu. The assessment, done by MoF, with technical support from UNDP, is part of the process of integrated national financing framework and will inform a national financing strategy that the Government of Nepal is formulating. Present in the workshop were GoN officials, UNDP officials, representatives of bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, and diplomatic missions.

Dr. Paras Kharel, Executive Director, SAWTEE, spoke on Nepal’s 20-year experience as a WTO member in a panel discussion in a seminar on “20 Years of Nepal’s Accession to the WTO. What have we achieved?" organized by WTO Chairs Programme, Kathmandu University School of Management, in partnership with the World Trade Organization, on 19 May 2024. Dr. Toya Narayan Gyawali, Member Secretary, National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, chaired the session.

South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) organized a workshop titled “Insights into Informal Cross-Border Trade in Agri-Food Commodities in South Asia” on 16 May 2024 in Kathmandu. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate the findings of the study done by SAWTEE and IFPRI  that examined the dynamics of informal trade in agri-food commodities. The workshop centered on the dynamics of informal trade in agri-food commodities between Nepal and India and India and Bangladesh, shedding light on the nuances of trade patterns, modes, and underlying drivers. View More