Keynote Speaker

Ms. Purnima Shrestha

Brief Bio Ms. Purnima Shrestha is a mountaineer and a photojournalist from Nepal. She has made history as the first of two Nepali women to scale the 8,167-meter peak of Mount Dhaulagiri, and has successfully climbed seven of the 14 mountains above 8,000 meters in the world in her short five-year mountaineering journey. With a goal of becoming a “14 peak summiteer,” Ms. Shrestha is highly motivated to conquer the remaining seven mountains.

In the last 5 years, she has had the opportunity to engage with fellow mountaineers, local communities, and climate leaders, and has had many conversations about the impact of climate change on the Himalayas and the downstream communities. These conversations have focused on the ways in which climate change is affecting the Himalayas and the livelihoods of these communities.

Based on these personal observations and a desire to raise awareness about the multifaceted impact of climate change on the region, she has decided to add voices for an effective and achievable set of actions to save the Himalayas, which provides a lifeline to vast swathes of communities spread over many countries.

In her keynote address, Ms. Shrestha will share her firsthand experiences of the current reality of the Himalayas through the lens of a mountaineer.