NIICE to host Nepal–India Think Tank Forum to mark 10th anniversary

KATHMANDU: Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) is set to mark its 10th anniversary by hosting the Nepal–India Think Tank Forum 2026 in Kathmandu on February 10.

The forum, titled 'Regional Resilience: Strengthening Nepal–India Security Cooperation', will run for a full day and bring together experts, policymakers and journalists from both countries.

Organisers said the programme will include three focused sessions analysing the convergence, continuity and future trajectory of Nepal–India security cooperation. Discussions will also address transnational threats, connectivity and economic security challenges shaping bilateral relations, and explore the role of think tanks, youth and media in building resilient ties between the two neighbours.

A number of distinguished Indian speakers are scheduled to participate, including former ambassador Pankaj Saran, former Deputy National Security Advisor; former Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd.), Director General of the United Service Institution of India; Capt Dr Alok Bansal, Executive Vice President of India Foundation; Prof Sangeeta Thapliyal of Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Dr Gaurav Saini, co-founder of the Council for Strategic and Defence Research.

Nepali participants will include Anurag Acharya, Director at Policy Entrepreneurs Inc; Dr Angana Guha Roy, associate director at the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs; Maj Gen Binoj Basnyat (Retd), political and security analyst; and senior journalists Sanjeev Satgainya and Bibek Dhoj Thapa, among others.

Sumitra Karki, Director of NIICE, said the forum aims to foster practical cooperation between the two countries. "At a time when our region is facing new and complex challenges, Nepal and India must work closely together to address shared concerns. Platforms like this create valuable space for dialogue, enabling experts and policymakers from both sides to sit together, exchange ideas, and jointly explore practical solutions to common challenges," she said.

NIICE, a leading Nepali think tank focused on foreign policy, security and development, has previously partnered with several Indian research institutions and has said the forum is intended to deepen those collaborative ties.