Event Schedule & Speakers
Digital Rights Summit 2025 - Full Day Program
Registration & light breakfast
08:30 – 09:00 • Logistics
Adv. Babu Ram Aryal
Emcee
Founding Chair, Digital Freedom Coalition
Opening Ceremony & Welcome Remarks
09:00 – 10:30 • Ceremony
Mr. Tara Nath Dahal
Chair
Chair, Digital Freedom Coalition
Honorable Nahakul Subedi
Chief Guest
Judge at Supreme Court, Nepal
Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy
Special Guest
UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal
Senior Advocate Upendra Keshari Neupane
Welcome Remarks
Co-founder, Internet Governance Institute
Prof. Dr. Rohan Samarajeeva
Keynote Speaker
Chair, LIRNEasia
Safeguarding Human Rights at the Digital Frontier
10:30 – 11:45 • Panel Discussion
Mr. Ananda Gautam
Moderator
Youth IGF Nepal
Dr Lily Thapa
Speaker
Commissioner, NHRC
Mr. Pradip Paudel
Speaker
Former Minister, Ministry of Health and Population
Dr. Chandra Dev Bhatta
Speaker
Political Analyst
Mr. Roshan Pokharel
Speaker
Director, Internet Governance Institute
Tea Break
11:45 – 12:00 • Break
Algorithmic Transparency, Digital Bias, and Platform Governance
12:00 – 13:00 • Panel Discussion
Ms. Dipti Paudel
Moderator
Judicial Officer, Supreme Court of Nepal
Mr. Adesh Khadka
Speaker
Joint Secretary- Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Nepal
Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire
Speaker
Head of School, School of Technology at Nepal Open University
Dr. Dovan Rai
Speaker
Executive Director, Body & Data
Mr. Pranjal Timsina
Speaker
Co-founder and CTO, Kanoon AI
Lunch Break
13:15 – 14:00 • Break
Unpacking Nepal's AI Policy: Multistakeholder Pathways to an Inclusive Digital Future (Group Work)
14:00 – 15:00 • Group Work/Panel
Mr. Prabesh Subedi
Moderator
President, Digital Media Foundation
Mr. Bikash Gurung
Speaker (Technology)
Co-founder, Robotics Association Nepal
Ms. Sapana Shahi
Speaker
Co-founder/Director, Internet Governance Institute
Mr. Birodh Khatiwada
Speaker (Civil Society)
President, Disabled Care Nepal
Mr. Khushal Regmi
Speaker (Business)
Director, Sunway College Kathmandu
Information Integrity and Digital Literacy in Nepal: Challenges and the Way Forward
15:00 – 16:30 • Panel Discussion
Mr. Madhu Acharya
Moderator
President, Antena Foundation Nepal
Mr. Ajay Bhadra Khanal
Speaker
Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister
Mr. Laxman Datt Pant
Speaker
Founding Chair, Media Action Nepal
Mr. Chandra Kishor
Speaker
Journalist
Ms. Dr. Jana Wilbricht
Speaker
University of Bergen, Norway
Closing Ceremony & 2026 Commitments
16:30 – 17:00 • Ceremony
Hon. Ram Prasad Bhandari 'Sambhav'
Chief Guest
Acting Chief Commissioner, Election Commission
Prof. Dr. Bijaya Prasad Mishra
Special Guest
Chairman, Nepal Bar Association
Senior Advocate Upendra Keshari Neupane
Session Chair
Founder, Internet Governance Institute
Ms. Nirjana Sharma
Vote of Thanks
Lead for Communication and Information Unit, UNESCO