KATHMANDU, November 27 – Nepal has officially launched the Green Skills Advisory Board (GSAB), a major national initiative to strengthen green skills and boost employability and development across Nepal.
Speaking at ceremony organized in Kathmandu for the official opening of GSAB, Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) Chudamani Paudel called the initiative timely in view of the growing threats to human health and the planet as a whole from increasing temperatures and its subsequent impacts.
He stressed on the need for stronger links between education and skills, and skills with production and markets, and called for continued collaboration between government and the private sector.
"The Government of Nepal has been working for the policy reforms in this sector. The project launched in collaboration between the government and the private sector must be moved forward together," he said.
The GSAB, which aims to connect the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system with green skills through stronger public-private partnerships, plans to promote sustainable agriculture, push environment-friendly construction and incentivize green skills in the sectors like tourism. It will work to raise awareness of green skills, shape training policies that support environmentally responsible practices, and take concrete steps to expand training and create jobs.
Addressing the programme, Chairperson of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Chandra Prasad Dhakal emphasized the need for new thinking and practices to address the global climate change, carbon emission and environmental degradation, and assured that industries and businesses are becoming ready to adopt environment-friendly skills and technology. He further expressed FNCCI’s commitment to contribute to training and employment to make skills development environment friendly, adding that Nepal's youth will be oriented towards sustainable employment to support the development of a green economy in the future."
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Nepal Rob Fenn said the board would support Nepal's goal of achieving net zero carbon by 2045 AD and pledged to extend cooperation to that end.
Also speaking on the occasion, Member Secretary of CTEVT Mahesh Bhattarai, said the GSAB would help build partnership to meet the demand for green skills and contribute to the national goal of attaining carbon neutrality.
Representatives from industrial associations also voiced their support. Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) President Birendra Raj Pandey expressed CNI’s commitment to developing and promoting environment friendly skills, while Federation of Contractors' Associations of Nepal President Rabi Singh argued that although environment protection and green skills are necessary, development efforts should not be hampered by green initiatives and that there should instead be focus on sustainable progress.
On the occasion, GSAB member Binod Badal described green skills as "the future need of Nepal" and stressed the importance of public private sector collaboration.
Endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and supported by the British Council, GSAB brings together a diverse range of public and private sector stakeholders such as Nepal's leading TVET authority CTEVT and national employer representative bodies like FNCCI, CNI, and FCAN.
