This year, the EU Delegation to Nepal will organise several events around Europe Day and throughout the year since 2024 marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between the European Union and Nepal.  The slogan for our celebrations is ‘EU & Nepal Growing Stronger Together’.

A reception is to be organised on the 9^th May for government officials, the Diplomatic corps, UN agencies, project partners, civil society organisations and the media. Vice President of Nepal, Right Honorable Ram Sahaya Yadav will be the chief guest at the reception.

As in the previous year, the EU is also organising the ‘EU Green Award in Nepal 2024’ under two categories –‘Green Culture Inside My Organisation’ & ‘Green Impact of My Action’ on the occassion of Europe Day.

The objective of the award is to acknowledge greening efforts of partners and to establish a peer-learning network. The winners will be awarded during the main ‘Europe Day’ function taking place on the 9^th of May.

The EU also organised the ‘Nepal European Union Film Festival 2024’ with the theme, “50 years of EU-Nepal relations: celebrating cultural diversity” in March and April of this year. The festival that began in Kathmandu travelled to the ‘Far Western University’ in Mahendranagar, another city in west Nepal – Nepalgunj and to the Mid-Western University in Surkhet. A total of six European films and nine Nepali short films were screened at the festival.

A mirror festival of ‘Nepali films’ is to be organised in Brussels in autumn this year. The occasion will provide opportunities for European and Nepali film directors and film critics to exchange ideas on ‘film making’ and explore the possibility of promoting their films in Europe and Nepal.

One other major activity is the photo competition. The competition is being organised under the theme ‘Celebrating 50 years of EU-Nepal Friendship Through Photography’. The EU is organising this competition in partnership with the Nepal Arts Council to celebrate 50 years of EU-Nepal Friendship through photography.

This event seeks to highlight the rich cultural exchange and enduring friendship between Europe and Nepal through the lens of photography. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of EU-Nepal diplomatic relations in 2024, the European Union will support 4 photographers to develop their vision of the EU-Nepal friendship, culminating with an exhibit. This competition is an opportunity for photographers to advance a visual project working with mentors.

The other major event is the ‘EU-Nepal Business Forum’ taking place on the 15 & 16 of May.  The theme of the forum is ‘Celebrating 50 years of Relations and Forging New Pathways for Economic Cooperation’.

Embracing the theme of "Celebration, Promotion, and Exploration," this forum is designed to strengthen the bonds of partnership and boost trade and investment opportunities between Nepal and the EU Member States.

The EU-Nepal Business Forum 2024 aims to serve as a platform for facilitating discussions on joint investments and collaborative projects in Nepal's priority sectors such as energy, IT and digital services, agriculture, high-end tourism, and innovative startups. By bringing together government representatives, industry leaders, and investors from both regions, the forum seeks to promote sustainable economic growth supported by private sector initiatives.

The EU in Nepal will also be organising ‘Erasmus Road Shows’ in different parts of the country in order to inform prospective Nepali students living away from the capital Kathmandu about the Erasmus Plus scholarship and how they can plan and move ahead to compete for the scholarship to pursue their higher education in different Universities in Europe.

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