KATHMANDU, AUGUST 25
The founding American principles of free expression, rule of law and free enterprise continue to guide the United States’ global partnerships, said US Chargé a.i. d’Affaires Scott Urbom, calling for Nepal-US relations to pivot more decisively towards trade, technology and economic integration ahead of the 80th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties next year.
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of our bilateral relationship, the next phase should increasingly be defined by trade, investment, technology and shared prosperity,” Urbom said, delivering remarks at a commemorative event held by the Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy (CESIF) in Kathmandu today to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence.
Urbom pointed to the $500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact for Nepal’s energy and road infrastructure and increasing US private-sector investment in the country’s tech, cybersecurity and animation industries – including SecurityPal, Fusemachines, Leapfrog and Incessant Rain Studios – as evidence that investment in young Nepali talent is driving long-term shared prosperity between the two nations. “With the help of US private sector investment, I’m confident that we will see Nepal emerge as a regional leader in energy and tech – a place where young Nepalis can stay and grow, where American companies can expand commercial opportunities, and where our two countries can have a partnership that makes both of our countries safer, stronger and more prosperous,” he said.
Youth have always been the engines of innovation, progress and reform, said Urbom, citing Nepal’s change of generations. “The people of Nepal are very aware of this. About a third of Nepal’s Parliament is under 40 – a stunning generational leap from the previous Parliament. The average age of Nepal’s Cabinet members is just 37.
He drew a parallel to early American history, noting that Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence and Alexander Hamilton was just 32 when he became the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury.
Similarly, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal echoed the call for Nepal-US relations to expand beyond traditional development assistance to include investment, trade, technology and entrepreneurship. Khanal outlined three pillars for strengthening bilateral ties ahead of next year’s 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations, emphasising the two countries’ shared commitment to constitutionalism, democracy and human freedom: access to American innovation and capital, collaboration on climate resilience and the green economy, and mobilising the human capital of the Nepali diaspora in the United States.
“Nepal is decisively transitioning from an aid-dependent economy towards private-sector dynamism, direct foreign investment and high-value trade. Our bilateral relations must now align with this shift,” Khanal said.
“We want to connect Nepal’s talented youth and IT workforce with the US innovation and capital ecosystem. The vibrant Nepali diaspora in the US must be linked to Nepal’s economic transformation through technology transfer, trade networks and enterprise development.”
“The 250th anniversary is an opportunity to take a step back and think about what democracy, constitutional government and human rights mean in the broader world,” said CESIF Executive Chairperson Vijay Kant Karna.
“American ideas of self-determination and individual liberty have contributed to shaping political thought and anti-colonial movements far beyond the United States.”
He stated that Nepal-US relations are based on shared democratic values, and that democratic institutions must maintain public accountability, earning legitimacy through trust and responsive governance.
Former UN Ambassador Prof Dr Jayaraj Acharya shared historical accounts of early US-Nepal diplomacy dating back to April 1947, highlighting how US-backed malaria eradication reshaped the Tarai’s economy, how bipartisan Congressional diplomacy supported Nepal’s 1990 democratic restoration, and why constitutional checks and balances and educational exchanges remain vital anchors for democratic governance today.
Reshu Aryal, a member of the National Planning Commission, reflected on shared democratic values and people-to-people ties between the two countries, stressing the need to understand emerging Gen Z political realities and move from feudal modes of political thinking towards an empowered citizenry. “Democracy requires institutions that uphold democratic norms and remain stronger than individual personalities, and that Nepal, as a young republic, can draw lessons from the US experience in building durable democratic institutions,” she said.
Historian Ajapa Sharma reflected on the 250th anniversary as a project that is continually ‘made and remade’, rather than a fixed political achievement, tracing the relevance of principles such as natural rights, social contract and self-governance from the Declaration of Independence through their later expansion via abolition, Reconstruction and the civil rights movement. She said sustaining a republic is a demanding and unfinished process, requiring citizens and institutions to continually renegotiate the balance between central authority and individual liberty and between majority rule and minority rights.