The NBBF aims at promoting and strengthening bilateral cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh, two members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

This year’s forum is jointly organized by Kathmandu-based think tank Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) and the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal’s capital.

The theme for this year’s NBBF is “Navigating the Next Phase of Socioeconomic Cooperation.”

Major issues like strengthening media cooperation and expanding multimodal connectivity are topics that will be focused on in the third NBBF.

Nepal’s Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Barsha Man Pun will be present as the chief guest of the program.

Guests from both the countries, including Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams, will be attending the program.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIDIA Sunil KC said: “In-depth and on-the-spot media coverage will promote the better understanding of matters of mutual bilateral concern between Nepal and Bangladesh,” he said.

“The third NBBF intends to hold intense discourse involving policymakers and government officials, business executives, media practitioners, scholars and academics among others,” he added.

Economic and commercial cooperation between Bangladesh and Nepal has been growing over the years. In August 2018, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement paving way for the export of electricity.

Moreover, media cooperation between the two countries is vital for fostering trade and economic relations, strengthening transport and energy connectivity, promoting tourism, educational collaboration and people-to-people contact, and exchanging the respective climate policy paradigms (CPPs) among others.

It also helps enhance bilateral cooperation in common platforms like Saarc, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) and Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN).