Symposium on socio-economic sensitivity held in Pokhara

A national conference on ‘Contextualization of Socio-Economic Sensitivity’ was held on Friday in Pokhara, organized by Pokhara University in collaboration with the Pokhara University Research Center (PURC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

With Nepal set to graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) list by 2026, the conference aimed to address the critical importance of understanding socio-economic sensitivity in policy-making. Experts, policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders gathered to exchange scientific knowledge and experiences and identify effective solutions through open dialogue.

The event featured sessions on four key topics: economic inequality, social stratification, climate change, and food security. Each session included keynote presentations followed by panel discussions aimed at finding practical solutions to the challenges posed by these issues.

In the first session, focused on economic inequality, Assistant Professor Naveen Adhikari from Tribhuvan University presented insights on income, education, and resource access. Panelists included Pokhara University Registrar Dr Deepak Bahadur Bhandari, Senior Deputy Governor Dr Neelam Dhungana Timalsina from Nepal Rastra Bank, and Gandaki Province Policy and Planning Commission member Maya Timalsina.

The second session addressed social stratification, with Associate Professor Dr. Rishikesh Pandey from Pokhara University presenting on ethnicity, gender inequality, and social division. Panelists included independent researcher Dr. Meena Paudel, and experts from Tribhuvan University and GEDSI.

The third session focused on climate change, with Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha from the Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (GIIS) presenting the impacts of climate change on society. Panelists from ICIMOD, Tribhuvan University, and Pokhara University contributed to the discussion on the societal effects of natural disasters.

The final session examined food security, nutrition, and health, with public health expert Dr. Aruna Upreti leading the discussion. Panelists from Tribhuvan University’s School of Public Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Agriculture and Forestry University addressed issues of child nutrition, sanitation, and agricultural policy.