Kathmandu: A network of organization,City Net hosts a three day seminar in Lalitpur. CityNet ,a organization in Asia Pacific region have vowed to work together in the field of sustainable development and aiming to promote heritage and sustainable tourism and also address challenges in heritage conservation and climate change. The seminar, which will also be mulling over issues such as disaster risk reduction and infrastructure development. The seminar on Heritage and Sustainable Tourism that kicked off in Lalitpur on Wednesday.
Vice President Mr.Nanda Bahadur Pun inaugurated the seminar after a heritage walk from Patan Dhoka to Patan Durbar Square which saw cultural processions and dances from Newari communities. He said that such events hold great value in preparing for ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ under which the government is aiming to bring in to the country some two million tourists.
“I am overwhelmed to know that more than 150 representatives from various cities representing 10 countries of Asia Pacific region have gathered in Lalitpur. I am very thankful to Lalitpur Metropolitan City for organising such a grand event,” he mentioned.
The representatives are planned to take part in a heritage walk in Bungmati on Thursday. The city is well known for wood carvings and was severely damaged by the 2015 earthquake.
The 38th executive committee meeting of CityNet aims to promote Nepal’s tourism worldwide through 88 foreign delegates, including 14 mayors and heads of various international organisations besides 43 local representatives from Nepal.
Secretary General of CityNet, Mr.Vijay Jagannathan elaborated on how the member countries and municipalities can work together to preserve their tangible and intangible heritage which are under risk, speaking at a press meet on Wednesday. He said – “If you reduce the number of vehicles and air pollution, this will help to make a liveable city. We, as an organisation, want to educate and give an orientation of our members so that they take leadership and work for change in different sectors in the region.”
CityNet is founded in 1987 with the collaboration of 135 municipalities, NGOs, private companies.
Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan , Lalitpur Mayor stated that organising such seminar is a significant breakthrough. Our metropolitan city was involved with CityNet for the past two decades, but from last year we became an executive member of CityNet, and thus were able to bring the delegates here.
Talking about the importance of connecting with CityNet, he said that the city has trained many engineers post 2015 and has started teaching an online course in community schools in all 29 wards besides forming disaster risk reduction centres in all wards to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to disaster.
He said that the city is all set to prevent two- and four-wheeled vehicles from entering the Patan area which is an ‘open museum’ and a heritage site.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
