Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS)

09/06/2026

🌿📖🌏 | Opening My Lens: When Distance Becomes a Way of Seeing | By Yuefei Wu | University of Edinburgh

In this blog, Yuefei Wu reflects on the SIAS–UoE 2026 virtual fieldwork experience. She highlights how engaging with Nepal from Scotland challenged common assumptions about fieldwork, presence, and learning, and became an opportunity to rethink researcher positionality, reflexivity, and the limits of understanding in environment and development research.

The blog reflects on how meaningful fieldwork extends beyond physical presence. It highlights the importance of active listening, humility, adaptability, and attention to lived realities behind academic concepts. 💫

🔗Read the full blog: https://sias-southasia.org/opening-my-lens-when-distance-becomes-a-way-of-seeing/

Sanjaya Khatri Sushant Acharya Gyanu Maskey

By Yuefei Wu, University of Edinburgh When Fieldwork Begins in Absence When I heard I would be unable to undertake fieldwork in Nepal, I felt disheartened and

05/06/2026

🌿 Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Nepal’s Access to Climate Finance and Financial Governance | Bhimeshwor Municipality, Dolakha

The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), in collaboration with the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) Dolakha, organized a multi-stakeholder dialogue bringing together local government representatives, financial institutions, development partners, and sectoral agencies to discuss opportunities and challenges in accessing and governing climate finance in Nepal.

The presentations by Dr. Maniram Banjade, Senior Research Fellow at SIAS, and Mr. Krishna Gyawali, former Secretary of the Government of Nepal, highlighted Nepal’s climate vulnerability, the increasing frequency and intensity of climate-induced disasters, the current status of climate finance, and the importance of strong governance and transparent financial systems to ensure the effective delivery of climate actions at the local level. The session was highly interactive, with participants sharing their experiences, implementation challenges, institutional constraints, and priorities for strengthening climate finance access and effectiveness. ✨

Further details on: https://sias-southasia.org/events/multi-stakeholder-dialogue-on-nepals-access-to-climate-finance-and-financial-governance/

Ish*ta Sachdeva Gyanu Maskey Sushant Acharya Mani Ram Banjade Sajjan Regmi Krishna Gyawali

The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Kathmandu, in collaboration with its local partner, the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal

05/06/2026

🌍 Happy World Environment Day 2026 🌿

This World Environment Day, we are reminded that some of the most effective climate solutions can be found in nature itself. Protecting ecosystems, learning from traditional knowledge, and promoting sustainable practices are essential steps toward building a resilient future.

At the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), we contribute to climate action through interdisciplinary research, policy dialogues, knowledge generation, and stakeholder engagement that support sustainable development. Our work seeks to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making, amplify local perspectives, and promote collaborative approaches to addressing environmental challenges. As environmental challenges continue to grow, so does our commitment to advancing inclusive, science-informed, and locally grounded solutions that help create a more sustainable and resilient future. ✨✨

04/06/2026

📍🌿 Field Visit to Kamalamai Municipality & Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, Sindhuli

The field visit focused on two key objectives: research data collection and co-organizing a stakeholder consultation in the Gwang catchment, the action research site of the Muhan project.💧

The field visit focused on climate adaptation, traditional knowledge, livelihoods and gender dynamics, generating insights into changing water availability, access, local institutions, and gaps and opportunities for more equitable and sustainable water management. As part of collaborative socio-technical and policy engagement, consultations were also held with key stakeholders that helped map diverse perspectives on water issues and identify pathways for coordination and co-design of sustainable solutions. 🌱🤝

Anushiya Shrestha Dilli Dinesh Poudel Salu Basnet Gyanu Maskey Kunja Shrestha

04/06/2026

🌿📖🌏| A Blessing in Disguise: Engaging with Nepal from Scotland| By Shapil Ngutwa| The University of Edinburgh

In this blog, Shapil reflects on how planned in-person fieldwork in Nepal changed into a fully remote learning experience from Scotland. For her, it first felt like disappointment but later became a blessing in disguise.

She shares how this experience reshaped her understanding of environment and development research, particularly within disaster risk management. She highlights that meaningful fieldwork demands humility, reflexivity, and accountability to those whose knowledge makes learning possible. For her, the field is not somewhere we go, but something we carry forward after the course ends. ✨✨

🔗Read the full blog: https://sias-southasia.org/a-blessing-in-disguise-engaging-with-nepal-from-scotland/

Sanjaya Khatri Gyanu Maskey Sushant Acharya

Shapil Ngutwa, University of Edinburgh I remember watching the student-led documentary from 2025 Nepal field course last year while still in Malawi, feeling

01/06/2026

📢⏳ DEADLINE EXTENDED | Call for Papers | New Angle: SouthAsian Journal of Social Science and Public Policy (Vol. 11, Issue 1, 2026)

Good news for researchers, scholars, and practitioners working on South Asian socio-environmental issues!

The submission deadline for New Angle: SouthAsian Journal of Social Science and Public Policy (Vol. 11, Issue 1, 2026) has been extended.

The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) invites submissions for New Angle: SouthAsian Journal of Social Science and Public Policy, an internationally peer-reviewed journal (ISSN: 2565-5124).

We welcome research articles, book reviews, and opinion pieces that offer grounded empirical insights and critical reflections on South Asia, particularly across the following themes:

🌿 Natural resource governance
🌏 Climate change, disasters, loss & damage, and climate finance
🏙️ Urban resilience
🌾 Rural livelihoods
⚖️ Social justice and equity in resource governance

📝 Please submit an abstract (maximum 250 words) along with a short author/s bio (150–200 words). The abstract should clearly outline the background, research argument, methods, main findings, and conclusion, and include 4–6 keywords.

📌 Extended Deadline: [June 15, 2026]
🔗 Submit here: https://newangle.sias-southasia.org/index.php/new/announcement/view/5

📖 About the Journal
New Angle: SouthAsian Journal of Social Science and Public Policy aim to publish high-quality interdisciplinary research addressing contemporary socio-economic and environmental challenges across Himalayan and South Asian regions. The journal provides a platform to disseminate and exchange research, ideas, and knowledge globally.

👥 Editorial Team
🔵 Editor-in-Chief
🔹 Dilli Dinesh Poudel
🔵 Editors
🔹 Gyanu Maskey(Coordinating Editor)
🔹 Anushiya Shrestha
🔹 Sushant Acharya
🔹 Govinda Paudel
🔵 Editorial Board (South Asia)
🔹 Jelle J. P. Wouters – Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan
🔹 Vishal Narain – Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, India
🔹 Jyotshna Krishnakumar – Keystone Foundation, India
🔹 Mohammed Moniruzzaman Khan – University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
🔹 Chandra Pandey – Kathmandu University, Nepal
🔹 Rajesh Rai – Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
🔹 Basanta Paudel – Lumbini Buddhist University, Nepal
🔵 Managing Editor, SIAS
🔹 Parbati Pandey
🔵 Associate Editor
🔹 Salu Basnet

29/05/2026

🌿 Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Addressing Challenges Related to Women-Led Agricultural and Forest Enterprises| Bhimeshwor Municipality, Dolakha

The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), in collaboration with Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN) ,Dolakha organized a multi-stakeholder dialogue that brought together entrepreneurs, local government representatives, financial institutions, and forestry stakeholders to discuss key challenges faced by women-led agricultural and forest enterprises and to explore practical solutions for strengthening local enterprises. ✨🤩
For more details: https://sias-southasia.org/events/multi-stakeholder-dialogue-on-addressing-challenges-related-to-women-led-agricultural-and-forest-enterprises/

A multi-stakeholder dialogue titled “Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Addressing Challenges Related to Women-Led Agricultural and Forest Enterprises” was

29/05/2026

💰 Financial Literacy Training for Women-Led Enterprises | Bhimeshwor Municipality, Dolakha

The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), in collaboration with District Federation of Community Forestry Users, Nepal (FECOFUN), conducted a three-days financial literacy training from May 08-10, under the Climate Action Financing through Women and Social Enterprises (CAFiN) project in Bhimeshwor Municipality, Dolakha for women-led or engaged (WLE) entrepreneurs.

The participants gained knowledge and built skills in budgeting, saving, digital finance, debt reduction, financial crisis preparedness, fraud prevention, and business communication. The training also showed significant learning of the participants with average scores nearly doubled rising from 4.5 in the pre-test to 8.6 in the post-test over the three days. 🤩🤩

Further details on: https://sias-southasia.org/events/three-day-training-on-financial-literacy-for-women-led-enterprises-may-8-10-2026-bhimeshwor-municipality-dolakha/

Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), in collaboration with local partner District FECOFUN, organized a three-day financial literacy training from

28/05/2026

What does it mean to be resilient to climate change? ❄️❄️

This audio essay, “Just Climate,” challenges conventional notions of resilience by exploring its complexities across diverse social, political, and economic contexts. Featuring insights from researchers in Nepal, Kenya, and Nicaragua, it critically examines resilience as both a concept and a lived reality for communities navigating multiple forms of inequality and hardship. By redefining resilience as a relational process rooted in justice and equity, the essay contributes to broader conversations on climate change adaptation and the pursuit of more just and sustainable futures. ✨✨

🎧 Listen here: https://sias-southasia.org/gallery/what-does-it-mean-to-be-resilient-to-climate-change/

Originally published in PULSE: the Journal of Science and Culture, Volume 12 (2025).
Available at: https://www.pulse-journal.org/

💬 Share your thoughts on what climate resilience means to you.

Dil Khatri Gyanu Maskey

Audio Essay ​What Does It Mean to Be Resilient to Climate Change?: Just Climate Audio Essay in Three Parts Ian M. Cook, Andrea J. Nightingale, Noémi Gonda,

26/05/2026

We’re pleased to share a new article by our researcher Dilli Prasad Poudel ✍️
यस लेखमा ‘हरियो वन, नेपालको धन’ 🌳 भन्ने नाराले व्यवहारमा किन अपेक्षित परिणाम दिन सकेको छैन भन्ने विषयमा चर्चा गरिएको छ। वनसम्बन्धी झन्झटिला कानुन, बढ्दो वन्यजन्तु-मानव द्वन्द्व 🐒🌾, वनडढेलो र कार्बन उत्सर्जन 🔥, अव्यवस्थित वन र बाढीपहिरोको जोखिम 🌊 तथा असन्तुष्ट स्थानीय सरकार लगायतका पाँच मुख्य चुनौतीहरूलाई प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ। नेपालका वनमा ठूलो आर्थिक तथा वातावरणीय सम्भावना भए पनि व्यवहारिक, समुदायमैत्री र विकेन्द्रित वन व्यवस्थापनबिना वनलाई दिगो जीविकोपार्जन, वातावरणीय सन्तुलन र समृद्धिको आधार बनाउन कठिन हुने लेखले औंल्याएको छ।

🌱Read the full article: https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2026/05/1927038/5-reasons-why-green-forests-cannot-become-nepals-wealth

#हरियो_वन_नेपालको_धन ्यवस्थापन #वन्यजन्तु_मानव_द्वन्द्व #वनडढेलो #जलवायु_परिवर्तन #स्थानीय_सरकार #दिगो_विकास

‘हरियो वन, नेपालको धन’ । विद्यालय शिक्षाको क्रममा यही पढाइयो । बालमस्तिष्कमा गढेर बसेका कुराले लामो समयसम्म प्रभ...