Int'l Mother Tongue Journalism conference starts in Nepal Friday

The two-day event, organised by the National Forum for Newar Journalists (NFNJ) in collaboration with the SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF) and FONIJ, marks the celebration of 101 years of mother tongue journalism.

Nepal’s Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire will inaugurate the conference as chief guest at the National Nature Conservation Trust in Lalitpur, while Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh will attend the closing ceremony at Thimi Banquet in Bhaktapur on Saturday.

“All preparations have been completed, and we are fully ready to host the conference on June 13 and 14 in Kathmandu,” said Nripendra Lal Shrestha, president of NFNJ, at a press briefing.

SJF President Raju Lama confirmed that over 50 journalists from South Asian countries will participate. FONIJ Secretary General Sameer Balami and organising committee president Sunil Maharjan also stated that all necessary arrangements are in place for the successful hosting of the event.

The conference will feature panel discussions on a range of topics, focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and future prospects of mother tongue journalism in Nepal, across South Asia, and globally.

As part of the event, five journalists from Nepal, India, and Bangladesh will be honoured for their outstanding contributions to journalism in native languages.

Two senior journalists from Bangladesh — Md Abdur Rahman, central secretary general of SJF, and Rafiqul Islam Azad, former president of Dhaka Reporters Unity — have already arrived in Nepal to attend the event.

This year’s gathering follows the first International Mother Tongue Journalism Conference, successfully held in 2024 by the same organisers, reports UNB.