Nepalese academia, including Tribhuvan University, has challenges, but we must tell the full story, including what it is doing well.

Rejecting both MCC and BRI would be economic nonsense because the country is in dire need of funds for its ambitions. Rejecting BRI and going on with MCC alone means that we remain sort of disconnected from the Chinese economy and increase reliance on the big bullying brother of the south. What if we reject MCC and align completely with the Xi path? That's also ridiculous, because China itself trades massively with the USA and gains a huge sum, though quarrels politically as hell. Accepting both the proposals seems an economic fun with a boom in infrastructure, but the political cost is huge.

All in all, Ukraine, already fraught with internal political and identity divisions and economic hardships, is viewing 2022 with multiple threats and skepticism, especially regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Donors are not infallible. Especially in fragile states, their roles look dominant. In such situations, they fail to set the priorities with their counterparts and are encouraged to do many things without thinking of the absorptive capacities of the states concerned. Bosnia could be the best example where international communities have superseded the government.

The world is witnessing multiple international tensions including threats to cyberspace, maritime security, tech and digital sovereignty, and AI and nuke threats, while policy discourse, public diplomacy and resources are being largely dominated by fear and hate. The emerging ‘belligerent international environment’ in Ukraine, Hong Kong and Taiwan are perhaps the result of ‘over-rationalized’ emotions, rather than acts of balancing between soft and hard power.

Nepal has close economic ties with India due to open borders and recent exchange rate arrangements. Therefore, under the national policy of effective management of national economy and liberalization and globalization, Nepal should regularly monitor India's economic policies and programs to get maximum benefit from Nepal's economic partnership with the outside world.

We call on members of society to rethink ways in which persons with disabilities and other members of the vulnerable groups can find a space to exercise their agency and be able to prove their skills and enjoy what we call their right to leadership.

Akin to so many bird species that dwell in the farmlands of Lumbini, Sarus Cranes also rely on the surrounding wetlands and farmlands for survival. Unfortunately, their survival remains at stake owing to food scarcity resulting from loss of wetlands, increasing pollution and hazardous linear infrastructures.

Our country Nepal is endemic for eight neglected tropical diseases which are lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, kala-azar, leprosy, soil-transmitted helminth infections, dengue, rabies, and cysticercosis. Snake bite venoming is an important NTD in Nepal whose morbidity and mortality burden in the country exceeds the collective burden of NTDs in Nepal.

A large percentage of the poorest of the poor in the developing world are dependent on forest resources and the bulk of forest finance needs to reach them. The pledge to end deforestation must cater to their needs and aspirations; only then will a standing tree be viewed as more valuable than a felled one.