The Himalayan Consensus Summit 2019 has highlighted the need for an innovative, people-centred and sustainable approach to realize a secure and dignified future in the Himalayan region.

UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand said the basis for people-centric development is the core message of sustainable development goals.

“The future generation is what we make of our common action,” she said and underlined the need to rewrite history through response to the youth population to rewrite history.

Swiss Ambassador Elisabeth von Capeller said Nepal has a niche advantage of climate and cultures and viewed that the country will benefit immensely if it prioritized high value crops, making the most of knowledge intensive employment.

Veronica Cody, Ambassador of European Union to Nepal, said investment made to shape people’s skills defines the economy as well as the future of the country.

Director of ILO Country Office for Nepal, Richard Howard, presented a snapshot of the findings from the Global Commission on the Future of Work report which stresses that technology, climate change and demographic shifts are key forces transforming the world of work.

“Transforming economies for decent and sustainable work should strengthen the social protection floor that should include the 2 billion people working in the informal sector,” he underlined.

The Global Commission report points out that 344 million jobs need to be created globally and 6.8 million jobs in Nepal by 2030 to match labour force growth.

Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mahendra P Lama, expressed the views that indigenous knowledge and wisdom of the Himalayan region needs to be utilized to address emerging climate change challenges.

The Himalayan Consensus Summit is a multi-stakeholder event convening environmentalists, civil societies, government, development institutions, business leaders and private sectors across the Himalayan region to forge pragmatic solutions that harmonizes the concerns of human communities, commercial enterprises, and the natural environment.