On 10 August 2018, the city of Kathmandu hosted the Seventh Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Mobility Forum (KSUMF VII). The KSUMF is Clean Energy Nepal’s flagship event centred around policy dialogue and collaboration for sustainable urban mobility and air quality in the Kathmandu Valley.
This year’s topic for discussion was ‘Policy needs to shift towards Efficient Vehicles and Clean Transport System’. Around 45 participants from governmental and non-governmental agencies, academia, transport entrepreneurs, urban and transport planners, research institutions, and media attended the forum.
The technical session of the forum comprised of five presentations on challenges and opportunities for Nepal’s transport issues and the pressing needs for a shift towards efficient and clean vehicles and mobility.
Among the presenters was Dr. Thusitha Sugathapala from the University of Moratuwa, who provided an overview of the transportation system in Sri Lanka. His talk focused on how Sri Lanka is shifting towards a cleaner energy and transport system by adopting comprehensive taxation schemes, including a vehicle excise tax that promotes electric vehicles. Dr. Sugathapala is one of the main implementers of UN Environment’s Global Fuel Economy Initiative in Sri Lanka, and was a former Director General of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority. UN Environment encourages south-south cooperation to help develop policies in Asia-Pacific.
The seventh Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Mobility Forum (KSUMF VII) was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union, Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) and Clean Air Network Nepal (CANN), UN Environment and the Institute for Advanced Sustainable Studies (IASS).
