Nepal Daring Debates 2020

Daring Debates, an annual event from Difficult Dialogues that discusses issues of contemporary relevance in South Asia, is set to go global this year after five successful editions across various cities of India. The event, which brings together college students from varied backgrounds, regions, and ethnicity into the discourse of policy ideation and formation, will be a part of the Global Sustainability Film Awards (GSFA) 2020, co-organised by Difficult Dialogues and  tve, the UK-based TV for the Environment.

The initial debate rounds in Nepal were hosted on Zoom in partnership with the Youth Thinkers’ Society on 26 September, during which 12 shortlisted debaters discussed whether ‘Democratic Politics Is Inadequate to Address Climate Change’. Miss Nepal Earth 2016 and Creative Head for KathaNepal and Dekhapadhi Roshni Khatri moderated the debates, while jury members included actress and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Manisha Koirala, Nepali Times editor and author Kunda Dixit, as well as columnist and novelist Sheeba Shah.

The winners of the Nepal chapter of the Daring Debates are Prashamsa Ghimire (for the motion) from National Law College and Saugat Pokhrel (against the motion) from Kathmandu School of Law. Following initial debate rounds in their own countries, the winners from Nepal will join contenders from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Africa and the USA in the grand finale of Daring Debates from 16-20 November.