Talk at the Library: From Aid to Trade – Nepal's Next Chapter

For 70 years, Switzerland and Nepal have built a close partnership through development cooperation, economic exchange, and people-to-people ties. Today, both Nepal and the relationship itself are entering a new chapter.

Over the past year alone, Nepal has undergone a remarkable transformation. A youth-led uprising, an interim government, national elections, and a profound shift in political discourse have reshaped the country's trajectory. A new Nepal is emerging, yet many perceptions of the country have yet to catch up with this rapidly changing reality.

What does this new Nepal look like? Can it harness its strategic position between India and China while charting its own path to prosperity? What opportunities are emerging as the country seeks to position itself as a destination for investment, innovation, and exchange? And how should long-standing partnerships evolve in response?

To explore these questions, we are delighted to welcome Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Danielle Meuwly, as well as Nepali analyst, author, and public intellectual Sujeev Shakya. As Nepal enters a new phase of its development, this conversation will examine what the country's changing trajectory means not only for Nepal itself, but also for Switzerland and the future of international partnerships in an increasingly interconnected world.

----------

About the Speakers

Sujeev Shakya, affectionately dubbed “the CEO (chief eternal optimist) of Nepal”, is a prominent thought leader, author, and management consultant, best known for his expertise in business, economics, and development. He is the Founder and CEO of Beed Management, a Kathmandu-based international management consulting and advisory firm operating in Asia and Africa, and the Chair of the Nepal Economic Forum, a leading private sector-led think tank. He also serves as a Senior Advisor for Bhutan and Nepal at Bower Group Asia, a U.S.-based strategic advisory firm. He is the author of several influential books, including Unleashing Nepal and Unleashing the Vajra, and his insights are widely sought by businesses, governments, academic institutions, and international organizations. His recent book Nepal 2043 charts the roadmap for prosperity for Nepal. He is recipient of the Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship for US Department of State and is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.

Danielle Meuwly has served as Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal since September 2023. Originally from Fribourg, Switzerland, she holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Fribourg and a degree in Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe. Since joining the Swiss federal administration in 1997, she has built an extensive career in international economic relations, development cooperation, and diplomacy. She held various leadership roles at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), including Deputy Head of the Macroeconomic Support Section, and served as Personal Adviser to Federal Councillor Joseph Deiss during his presidential year in 2004. Her international assignments have included positions at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., the OECD in Paris, and the United Nations in New York. Ambassador Meuwly subsequently held senior positions with Swiss development cooperation in Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia, where she served as Head of Cooperation for the South Caucasus. Throughout her career, she has developed deep expertise in development economics, focusing on sustainable growth, economic resilience, and inclusive development, and bringing extensive experience from both bilateral and multilateral institutions.

About the Moderator

Rosina Adathala is Program and Development Manager at Asia Society Switzerland, where she leads the Executive Education program Asia NEXT and supports the organization’s partnerships. She is also a 2026 Gen A Fellow and an ASEFYLS Fellow of the Asia-Europe Foundation. Passionate about migration, peacebuilding, and sustainable development, Rosina is particularly interested in how societies navigate change, foster international cooperation, and build bridges across cultures. Through her work, she helps facilitate dialogue between Switzerland and Asia on the political, economic, and societal challenges shaping our world.

----------

About Talk at the Library

Talk at the Library is a members-only series where we invite an expert to our office library for a conversation on specific niche topics on a variety of countries and regions of Asia. The program consists of a moderated discussion and subsequent audience Q&A. Participants have the opportunity interact with the experts, asking questions. The talks are recorded and made available to the public on our YouTube channel.