Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari departed for China on Thursday to attend the Global Governance Forum in Xiong’an, Hebei Province, where she will address the event as a special guest. The forum, themed ‘Rebuilding Trust and Cooperation in a Changing World’, runs from October 23 to 25.
This marks Bhandari’s first international visit since her appointment as a senior leader of the CPN (UML) on October 8. According to the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), the forum’s organizer, representatives from approximately 100 countries, including the Global South, Europe, and America, will participate. Attendees will include political, diplomatic, academic, business, media, and youth sector representatives.
Forum discussions and agenda
The Global Governance Forum will address contemporary global issues, focusing on the international system and the role of developing countries. Key discussion topics include:
- Preservation of the UN-centric international system
- Reforms needed for global peace and peacekeeping operations
- Promotion of multilateralism
- Growing role of developing countries in international relations
- Role of ‘Global South’ countries in international trade
- Climate change and its impacts
- Green and low-carbon development
- Sustainable development
- Artificial intelligence
- Cyberspace
Parallel sessions, panel discussions, and roundtable meetings on various subjects are also scheduled for October 24 and 25.
Bhandari’s engagements and return
During her visit, Bhandari is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials, representatives of the Communist Party of China, and diplomatic representatives from other participating countries, according to her aide, Rajkumar Rai. Her relative, Kailash Bhandari, is also accompanying her on the trip.
Bhandari, who served as Nepal’s second president, became active in politics after winning a by-election in Kathmandu-1 in 1993, following the death of Madan Bhandari. She has previously held ministerial positions, including Minister of Defence and Minister of Environment and Population. She is scheduled to return to Nepal next Monday.
The government has not yet publicly disclosed the formal purpose of her visit, the detailed meeting agenda, or the full list of participants. Questions have also been raised regarding the potential use of Nepal government financial resources, given the participation of government ministers and the CPN (UML) foreign affairs department head in the delegation.
