Kathmandu. The twentieth annual general meeting of the National Business Initiative was held in Mandikhatar, Kathmandu. Giving the welcome speech at the beginning of the program, President Kush Kumar Joshi recalled the two decades long journey of the organization and expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation of the member organizations during this period. Stating that the country is currently going through the dual challenges of political transition and frequent natural disasters, he stressed the need for the private sector to be more responsible and prepared in such a situation.
The meeting welcomed the presidents of the member associations who participated in the general meeting for the first time this year. The current executive committee members and members of the National Business Initiative who were elected to the executive committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) were also felicitated.
Similarly, Treasurer of Pahal, Saroj Prasad Pandey (elected as Vice-President), General Secretary Surendra Bir Malakar (Institutional Member from Pahal) and Secretary Suresh Pradhan (elected as Executive Committee member) were also felicitated on the occasion.
In the second session of the program, General Secretary Surendra Bir Malakar presented the annual progress report for the financial year 2082/083 and informed the meeting about the major activities of the organization last year. Similarly, Treasurer Saroj Prasad Pandey presented the annual income and financial report of the organization. The meeting unanimously passed the annual progress report and financial report.
In the open discussion session, there was an in-depth discussion on the increasing risks of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, glacial lake outbursts, etc. and in this context, establishing the national business initiative as a capable and reliable private sector agency in the field of disaster risk reduction and management.
The participants shared their views on the lessons learned from the recent incidents like the Rasuwa Glacial Lake outburst, the preparedness of the private sector and the role of the initiatives in coordination with the government, donor agencies and community bodies.
Learning from the Rasuwa incident, it was pointed out that there was a lack of institutional structure to link the resources of the private sector such as transport, warehouse, transportation network, and funds that could be mobilized immediately with the state mechanism during a disaster. It was agreed that the responsibility of carrying out more concrete work on this issue would be handed over to the working committee.
The program was attended by the office bearers of the organization, executive committee members, general members and representatives of the government and donor agencies, among others.
The initiative has been active in policy debate on contemporary issues that support the capacity development of the private sector, human rights in business, disaster management and industrial business environment, giving continuity to the basic values of the organization such as corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, promotion of clean business, construction of ethics and ethics.
