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In celebration of its 25 years of service to the region, the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) welcomes you to the International Conference on development and environmental economics: SANDEE@25, to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 12-14 December 2025.
The conference’s theme is ‘Development, environment, and mountains’ with key areas: biodiversity, climate, ecosystem, environmental pollution, forest restoration, livelihoods, mountains and people.
South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region are facing severe impacts from climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Socio-economic challenges, including inequality, poverty, unemployment, population growth, rapid urbanisation, and land use changes, are among the most pressing issues. At the conference, leading researchers from the HKH region and beyond will share insights to aid governments, policymakers, and communities to understand and address these pressing challenges.
SANDEE is a research capacity-building network of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) that uses economic tools and analyses to address environmental challenges that the region has been facing. SANDEE supports ICIMOD’s programmatic work and strengthens its economic and policy analysis, provides research and technical support, and offers mentorship to young researchers for enhancing their research capacity and academic leadership. Established in 1999, it works in ten countries in South Asia and the HKH region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Sir Partha Dasgupta
Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics Cambridge University
Profile
Ruth Meinzen-Dick
Research Fellow Emeritus International Food Policy Research Institute
Adil Najam
President, WWF International Dean Emeritus and Professor, Boston University
Full paper submission (4,000-6,000 words) and Panel proposal submission (500 words)
Notification of acceptance
Registration deadline
Detailed programme will be available once finalized.
Pema Gyamtsho, PhD
Director General, ICIMOD Chair, Advisory Committee
E. Somanathan, PhD
Professor, Indian Statistical Institute Delhi Chair, Scientific Committee
Izabella Koziell
Deputy Director General, ICIMOD Chair, Organizing Committee
Mani Nepal, PhD
Programme Coordinator, SANDEE Co-Chair, Organizing Committee
Pranab Mukhopadhyay, PhD
Professor, Goa University Co-Chair, Organizing Committee
Dr Mani Nepal, Programme Coordinator, SANDEE, ICIMOD, Nepal.
Dr Priya Shyamsundar, Lead Economist, The Nature Conservancy, USA.
Prof Bishwambher Pyakuryal, President, Nepal Economic Association and Chair, Institute for Strategic and Socio-economic Research, Nepal.
Prof Herath Gunatilake, Former Director, Environment and Safeguards Division, Asian Development Bank, Philippines.
Prof Rehana Siddiqui, Former Joint Director, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Pakistan.
Prof Sajjad Zohir, Executive Director, Economic Research Group (ERG), Bangladesh; Former Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS); Former Prof of Economics, BRAC University, Bangladesh.
Dr David Thomas Potter, Head of Regional Action and Global Advocacy, ICIMOD.
Dr Sarala Khaling, Head of Resilient Economies and Landscapes, ICIMOD.
Dr Qianggong Zhang, Head of Climate and Environmental Risks, ICIMOD.
Dr Mani Nepal, Programme Coordinator, SANDEE, ICIMOD.
Dr Bhim Adhikari, Senior Program Specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.
Dr Celine Nauges, Research faculty, Toulouse School of Economics, Research Director, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, (INRAE), France.
Dr Muhammad Rafiq, Climate Finance Expert and Member, Pakistan Climate Change Authority (PCCA), Government of Pakistan.
Dr Prabath Edirisinghe, Director General, Forest Department of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
Dr Sheetal Sekhri, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, The University of Virginia, USA.
Dr Soumya Balasubramanya, Senior Economist, the World Bank, Washington DC, USA.
Prof A K Enamul Haque, Director General, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Dhaka.
Prof Francois Libois, Research Fellow at INRAE and Professor at Paris School of Economics.
Prof Jean-Marie Baland, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Namur, Belgium.
Prof Jeffery R Vincent, Clarence F Korstian Professor of Forest Economics and Management, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, USA.
Prof Joyashree Roy, Distinguished Professor, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand.
Prof Madhu Khanna, Alvin H Baum Family Chair and Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment; Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics; and Co-Director, Center for Economics of Sustainability, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Prof Mahesh Banskota, Professor, School of Arts, Kathmandu University, Nepal.
Prof Om Kattel, Program Leader for PhD in Climate Studies programme, College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan.
Prof S Madheswaran, Professor and Head, Centre for Economic Studies and Policy Institute for Social and Economic Change, India.
Prof Subhrendu Pattanayak, Oak Professor of Environmental and Energy Policy, Duke University, USA.
Prof Tehmina Mangan, Vice Chancellor, The Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Pakistan.
Prof Udith K Jayasinghe-Mudalige, Vice Chancellor, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
Dr A M Tanvir Hussain, Environmental Economist, SANDEE-ICIMOD.
Dr Babar Khan, Interim Action Area Coordinator of Regional action, ICIMOD.
Ms Chogyel Wangmo, Lecturer, College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan.
Ms Vanessa Carriedo, Senior Communications Officer, Strategic group: Regional action and global advocacy, ICIMOD.
Prof Atonu Rabbani, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Dr Heman Das Lohano, Professor and Program Director BS (Economics and EM), IBA Karachi, Pakistan.
Prof PPA Wasantha Athukorala, Department of Economics and Statistics, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Ms Manashree Newa, Senior Programme Associate, SANDEE-ICIMOD.
The Kathmandu Valley is in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal at an altitude of 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above the sea level. Nestled within a ring of hills, including Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri, the valley comprises of the districts of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, each offering a rich legacy of architectural marvels and cultural traditions. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is located in the valley. Being Nepal’s political, economic, and cultural centre, Kathmandu offers a dynamic mix of tradition and modernity, serving as a gateway to Nepal’s spiritual and artistic legacy besides being its commercial hub. This vibrant diversity makes Kathmandu an inspiring destination for visitors from around the world.
Kathmandu is well-connected to major cities across the world through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal’s primary international gateway. Several major airlines operate direct flights to Kathmandu from key regional hubs, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok, Dubai, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Kunming, and Istanbul. The airport is located just a short drive away from the city centre, with taxis and hotel shuttles readily available for transportation.
Note: Nationals of SAARC countries are eligible for a free on-arrival visa once a year. However, please carry an exact amount in USD in case payment is required.
Nationals of Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and Syria; and Refugees with travel document are not eligible for a Visa-on-arrival unless they have official letters issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Nepal. They are requested to acquire Visa prior to their arrival from their nearby Embassies/ Consulates of Nepal. Their Visa application process may take as long as a month or so. For more information, visit https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/
For tourist entry visa, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Visit website: https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/
Step 2: Select ‘Visa On-arrival’ – first option
Step 3: Select your entry point ‘Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA)’. This will guide you to a new landing page.
Step 4: In the new page, fill up details as prompted. The Visa type is ‘Tourist Visa’.
Step 5: You will require the following documents in JPEG, JPG or PNG formats:
The charge for visas per person are:
Step 6: Purpose of visa would be ‘Official’
Step 7: Please fill in the application for each person. You can save the completed application and carry a printout of the same.
For more information please visit: https://www.immigration.gov.np/en/page/tourist-visa
You can use airport taxi service for transportation from airport to your hotel. This service is located near the exit gate of arrivals.
A travelling around Kathmandu (including transportation from your hotel to the airport) you can book taxis through ride booking apps like Pathao and In-drive. For convenience of usage you can download these apps on your mobile device.
If you are arranging your own accommodation, there are several hotels for accommodations around Lalitpur and Kathmandu. You may consider the following hotels located within a radius of 10kms from the conference venue:
The Kathmandu valley houses several ancient temples, historical sites, and scenic spots , many of which are United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ‘s (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites,. Some popular sites of tourist attraction are:
December is a winter month in Nepal. Although Kathmandu does not receive snowfall, temperature may drop to circa 4oC with the maximum daytime temperature being at around 20oC. Thus, it is recommended to carry commesurate warm clothes.
Facilities for currency exchange are available at the airport and money exchanges around Kathmandu Valley. You can find the latest forex rates here.
However, please note that some currencies, such as, Indian Rupees, Chinese Yuan, Pakistan Rupees, Thai Baht have limited to no conversion facilities in Nepal, while Afghani (AFN), Bangladeshi Taka, Bhutan Ngu and Myanmar Kyats (as used by UN) are not convertible in Nepal.
You can get prepaid SIM cards from service providers NCELL/NTC near the the exit area of the Tribhuvan International Airport, on arrival.
Conference Secretariat
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