The ‘Kantipur Conclave 2026’ is being held in Kathmandu from Monday with the aim of bringing the country’s political, social and economic debates on a single platform. The two-day conclave aims to provide a platform for dialogue for a society searching for a clear roadmap amid political instability, institutional weakness and growing citizen discontent, according to Kantipur Media Group.

The conclave was organized as an effort to bring political leadership, intellectuals, policymakers, young generation and civil society together on a single platform to debate the country's core problems and find common solutions, said Mahesh Swarn, CEO of Kantipur Media Group. "This is not just a formal conference, but a national initiative to lead the current uncertainty towards clarity and a collective course of action," Swarn said.

The conclave will be attended by prominent thinkers, political leaders, entrepreneurs, journalists, policy analysts and youth activists from Nepal and the world. 52 speakers from different countries are coming to participate in the conclave. After the inaugural session, Nobel Peace Prize winner, renowned jurist and author Dr. Shirin Ebadi will deliver the keynote address.

Ebadi's speech, which has global experience on human rights, democracy and civil liberties, is seen as the main attraction of the conclave. In the first session, ‘From Movement to Opportunity’, speakers from Tunisia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will share their experiences on the post-people’s movement transitional politics. The session will feature Tunisian singer and ‘Arab Spring’ icon Emel Mathaluthy, Sri Lankan journalist Kamanthi Wickramasinghe, Bangladeshi Marjana Mahanaz and Nepali Gen-G activist Tanuja Pandey. The session will be facilitated by Biswas Baral, editor of The Kathmandu Post. 

In the session titled ‘Gen-G Rebellion: The Story of Shoes’, Prakash Bohra will present the personal and political story associated with his blood-stained shoes in Naya Baneshwor. The shoes have been considered a symbol of the Gen-G movement. This will be followed by a presentation by political analyst CK Lal titled ‘Journey of the Nepali Revolution’, where he will present a holistic view of the movements, achievements and limitations since 2007.

The next session will feature a panel discussion titled ‘Nepali Politics by Satirizing Yourself’ between comedians. Adarsh ​​Mishra, Sita Neupane, Sundar Khanal and Prabhat Lama will discuss the relationship between politics and satire, facilitated by Manoj Gajurel. In the session titled ‘Is Ideology Over?’, political analyst Hari Sharma and politician Ghanshyam Bhusal will discuss the country’s political structure, leadership and reform prospects.

The final session of the first day, ‘Reviving the Economy, Restoring Trust’, will feature Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Dr. Bishwanath Poudel, FNCCI President Chandra Dhakal, CG Corp Global MD Nirwan Chaudhary, Ncell CEO Michael Foley and Daraz Nepal MD Aanchal Kunwar. The session will discuss the economy, private sector psychology and investment climate, which have been affected by unstable policies, and will be facilitated by economist Nishant Khanal.

The first session of the second day, ‘Chautari of Dialogue, Confusion of Algorithms’, will discuss the relationship between digital platforms and public debate. AI scientist Dobhan Rai, Editor-in-Chief of Bahrakhari Pratik Pradhan, MD of Pathao Nepal Asimman Singh Basnyat and leader Nisha Adhikari will be the panelists. The impact of social media, AI and algorithms on public opinion formation, misinformation and digital politics will be the main topics of this session. The session will be facilitated by Deepesh Tripathi, founder of The Nepali Comment.

Medical practitioner and activist Durga Prasai, politicians Rishi Dhamala, Khushbu Oli and journalist Santosh Deuja will participate in the ‘People’s Panel’. The session will focus on how voices outside the traditional leadership have come to the center of public debate. The session will be facilitated by journalist Sama Thapa of Kantipur Television.

In the session titled ‘Nepal in the Power Struggle’, experts from China, India and the US will debate the geopolitical situation in Nepal. Panelists will include Gao Liang, Deputy Director of the Nepal Center at Sichuan University in China, Sneha Kumcha, Researcher at MP-IDSA in India, Robert York, Regional Affairs Director of the American think tank Pacific Forum, and Mrigendra Karki, Executive Director of CINAS. The session will focus on how to maintain a balance between neighboring and global powers. The session will be facilitated by Anup Kafle, Editor-in-Chief of Rest of the World.

Similarly, in the session ‘New Voices of the Republic’, Gen-G activists Raksha Bam, Majid Ansari, Pradeep Gyawali and young candidate Ajay Kushwaha will participate, which will be facilitated by Kantipur Daily journalist Daya Dudraj. The discussion will focus on the leadership, legitimacy and role of the young generation in nation-building. Then, the Chief Ministers of all seven provinces will stand on the same stage and debate on the topic ‘Federalism: Only Structure or a Conveyor?’. The session will be facilitated by Kantipur Television’s News Chief Rupesh Shrestha. There will be a direct dialogue between the political leadership on the achievements, challenges and future of federalism.

In the final session titled ‘Policy, Leaders and Leadership’, Kantipur Daily Editor-in-Chief Umesh Chauhan will hold a debate on leadership transfer and political culture with young leaders of the Congress, UML and independent factions. Congress General Secretary Pradeep Poudel, UML Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai and former minister Sumana Shrestha will be the panelists in this session. The conclave is being held in collaboration with Asian Paints, Extreme Energy Drinks and Ncell.

The keynote speaker of the program, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, and speakers from various countries have arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday. According to Kantipur Media Group, ‘Kantipur Conclave 2026’ is not just a program of any one organization but a national initiative to collectively reflect on the future of the country. The organizers claim that its main purpose is to try to transform the uncertainty and mistrust seen in the political, social and economic sectors into clarity through dialogue. It is expected that the conclave will lead to a serious debate on the crisis and potential that Nepal is facing at the confluence of movement, democracy, technology, economy and geopolitics.