'Construction professionals have key role for vibrant economy'

 Kathmandu, Nov. 22

President of Nepal, Ramchandra Paudel, has said that it is necessary for those involved in the field of physical infrastructure development to take special precautions in order to deal with the increasing natural calamities caused by the climate change.

Inaugurating the 46^th conference of IFAWPCA, the umbrella organisation of Asian and West Pacific construction professionals in the capital on Wednesday, President Paudel said that along with the development of physical infrastructure, attention should also be paid to other aspects related to it.

He stated that the IFAWPCA member countries are suffering from natural calamities due to climate change. President Paudel recalled that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, who recently visited Nepal, also gave high importance to the climate change agenda.

He drew the attention of all concerned for the creation of nature-friendly sustainable infrastructure by imbibing the belief that 'as long as the earth exists, we exist'.

Similarly, President Paudel said that as the role of construction professionals is very important to keep the world economy running, he expects a positive role from the construction professionals to bring the troubled economy on the right track.

Addressing the opening session of the conference, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Prakash Jwala, expressed his belief that there will be important discussions on current issues related to the construction industry in the conference. Minister Jwala said that IFAWPCA's role in expanding relations between member states is commendable.

Ravi Singh, President of the Federation of Construction Associations of Nepal (FCAN), who is also the Chairman of IFAWPCA, urged the representatives of member countries to come to Nepal to make investment, and said that there is a lot of potential for investment in Nepal in infrastructure as well as in many other sectors like agriculture, tourism and information technology.

Singh said that the Federation is ready to provide necessary assistance to those affected by the recent devastating earthquake in the western region of Nepal. Birendra Raj Pandey, advisor of the Federation and General Secretary of the IFAWPCA, said that the role of member states is very important in making IFAWPCA a dynamic organisation.

General Secretary of the FCAN, Roshan Dahal, informed that the Kathmandu Manifesto will be issued after intensive discussions on various aspects of the construction industry among infrastructure experts and stakeholders including international delegates in various forums of the conference which will last until Saturday.

Businessmen who contributed to the construction industry were honored during the conference. More than 450 people, including 240 from abroad, have participated in the conference, which started with the slogan of partnership in sustainable infrastructure. Earlier, Nepal had organised the 30^th IFAWPCA Conference in 1999.

  Published in The Rising Nepal on 23 November 2023.