Honored to be a panelist in a program, “Unlocking Climate & Disaster Risk Finance for Nepal: Opportunities, Barriers, and Australia’s Role in South Asia,” organized by South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC) on 20th February 2026 at Kathmandu. The SARIC initiative, funded by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, brought together experts from Nepal’s climate, infrastructure, finance, energy, research, development, and government sectors to discuss how to:
Expand access to climate & disaster risk finance
Embed risk informed planning across key sectors
Strengthen governance & institutional readiness
Leverage regional collaboration — including Australia’s support — to drive resilience
Ambassador Simon Ernst highlighted the urgency of aligning finance, policy & partnerships to support Nepal’s resilient development pathway, reaffirming Australia’s commitment to climate-aligned investments in the region.
