As part of its ongoing commitment to youth empowerment, IRGDD's leadership continues to engage directly with the next generation of Nepali changemakers. Amb. Dr. Sarmila Parajuli Dhakal, President of the International Relations and Global Diplomacy Dialogue (IRGDD) and the Ambassadors Club Nepal, inaugurated the Presidential Model United Nations (MUN) 2025 at the Presidential Graduate School, Kathmandu, lighting the traditional panas to open the three-day conference.

The event brought together over 350 high school graduates from across Nepal as young delegates, simulating ten committees addressing pressing global issues across politics, security, social affairs, and the environment. The conference also featured panel discussions with diplomats, scholars, policymakers, and changemakers from Nepal and abroad.

A President Who Leads by Example

Dr. Dhakal's engagement with young delegates reflects the role IRGDD's leadership plays beyond institutional dialogue — as a bridge connecting Nepal's youth directly to real diplomatic experience and mentorship. Drawing on her own career as Nepal's former Ambassador to Oman and Spain, Dr. Dhakal shared lessons from the field: protecting the rights of Nepali migrant workers in Oman, and building cross-cultural partnerships on multilateral platforms in Spain.

Speaking to the delegates, she said:

"You can do everything because real change begins with participation."

"When young people think, speak, engage, and show up, nations begin to change, and the world begins to heal. From the classrooms of Kathmandu to the halls of Geneva, we need young Nepalis who can lead with confidence, speak with clarity, think globally, and act boldly. The world must not only hear about Nepal — it must hear from Nepal. And that starts right here, right now, with you."

Dr. Dhakal's presence and message at Presidential MUN 2025 embody the core of IRGDD's Youth Empowerment and Leadership Development work:

• Direct mentorship from senior diplomats — giving young delegates first-hand exposure to real diplomatic experience, not just simulated debate

• Building confidence and voice — encouraging students to see themselves as future negotiators and representatives of Nepal on the world stage

• Connecting classroom to career — linking youth platforms like MUN conferences to IRGDD's broader ecosystem of policy dialogues, research, and leadership programmes

• Modelling global engagement — using real examples from ambassadorial postings to show young Nepalis what it looks like to represent their country internationally

Engagements like this reinforce why IRGDD's Youth Department continues to prioritize platforms where students and young professionals can practice leadership, engage with policy issues, and build the networks needed to represent Nepal with confidence — from Kathmandu's classrooms to the world's diplomatic halls.