Chairperson of the Summit and Amir of the State of Qatar
Excellencies the Heads of State and Government,
Excellency Secretary-General of ACD,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour for me to attend the Third ACD Summit in Doha, representing thirty million peace-loving Nepali people. I bring with me a message of peace from the birthplace of Gautam Buddha for the success of this Summit. Nepal welcomes the theme “Sports Diplomacy,” which resonates with diverse regions and civilizations.
On this occasion, I wish to fondly recall the successful hosting by State of Qatar of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 with many records.
I extend my sincere gratitude to His Highness the Amir and the Government of Qatar for the hospitality extended to my delegation and for the excellent arrangement of this Summit in Doha.
Nepal commends the leadership of ACD and extends its best wishes to the next Chair Thailand. I assure you, Mr. Chair, of my Government’s full support to the ACD process.
Excellencies,
Through the centuries, human civilizations have continued to flourish. Human belief in God and the instinct for beauty, culture and sports has prevailed over time and given hope to humankind even during the darkest hours. In this evolutionary journey, sports have played a central role in stopping conflicts, easing tensions, and fostering friendships among nations. I wish to congratulate the enlightened leadership of ACD for identifying sports diplomacy as an important theme for the progress of our group.
Sports are more than just a pastime. Individually, sports develop life-saving skills, build on physical fitness and contribute to sound mental health, and prepare happy as well as healthy citizens. At a societal level, sports inspire people to build an identity, social cohesion and unity. On a global scale, it bridges political, socio-cultural and ideological divides.
Considering the transformative power of sports, we must embrace sports diplomacy to realize our collective development goals, including ACD’s vision of a pan-Asian community.
Sports diplomacy enhances the promotion of indigenous games, fosters youth exchanges, and strengthens inter-state relations at all levels across Asia and beyond.
Excellencies,
Today, the world faces growing polarization and divisions. The escalation of wars and conflicts in our region is of great concern to us while we are still far from achieving global development targets, including SDGs by 2030. Global peace, security and prosperity are threatened by chronic conflicts, geopolitical rivalries, terrorism, natural disasters, and transnational organized crimes. We, the Asian countries, must work together to achieve our promises to the next generation including the Pact for the Future and the Digital Compact.
Moreover, climate change presents an existential threat with urgent action required. Developing nations, particularly LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, need robust international support mechanism with predictable and just climate financing. We urge developed countries to honour their commitments and take bold action.
Amidst these challenges, we have the opportunity to shape the “Asian Century” in line with ACD Vision 2030 of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Asia. We must be mindful that disunity and divergent paths will turn this era into a missed opportunity. All of us must abide by international laws, treaties and conventions to establish peace and justice for all.
Therefore, we must ensure that we are on the right side of history. Asia is rich in natural resources, a young and dynamic population, cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and innovative technology and deserves a better dividend of global development and prosperity.
At this critical juncture, I urge you all to unite our strengths, forge win-win partnerships, and promote mutual understanding for a better Asia and a better world. In this regard, I would like to highlight the following actions to advance sports diplomacy:
First, continue hosting global and regional sports events to strengthen Asian unity and global fraternity while promoting meaningful participation of women and persons with disability in such events.
Second, use sports to promote cultural identity, develop sports infrastructure, conduct training, and establish sister-organizations relations among sports institutions. In this regard, I would like to invite everybody, all the members of ACD to participate in mountaineering and whitewater rafting adventure sports events in Nepal as a known destination for these two sports.
Third, appoint sports personalities as goodwill ambassadors, maintain meaningful relationships between sports councils and invest in sports infrastructure.
Fourth, encourage sports truces by organizing peaceful sports events in regions affected by conflict.
Fifth, promote sports diplomacy as a tool to strengthen national economies, enhance tourism, and cement relations between national and international Olympic Committees.
Sixth, prioritize sports in national policies and engage with relevant UN agencies.
Mr. Chair,
Nepal strongly values multilateralism and regional cooperation as pillars of regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity. Since joining ACD in 2016, Nepal has remained committed to advancing its objectives of building an interdependent, integrated, and innovative Asia.
This forum offers an important platform for constructive deliberations on the future pathways to achieve these shared goals.
To conclude, Nepal reaffirms its commitment to working closely with other ACD Member States in implementing ACD Vision 2030 and the ACD Blueprint 2021-2030 to build a peaceful, inclusive, just, democratic, and prosperous Asia.
Let us harness the power of sports diplomacy to foster a united, resilient, and prosperous Asia.
Thank you all.