Kathmandu. We, the participants of the International Media Summit on Democracy, Media Freedom and the Climate Crisis held in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lomanthang on 09-13 May 2025, which was attended by the journalists, media professionals, civil society members, federal government ministers, trade union leaders, province chief minister and ministers, chiefs and representatives of the local governments, political activists, development professionals, advocates and activists of democracy, freedom of the expression, media freedom, and climate crisis mitigation as well as the representatives from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and delegates from different countries,, hereby adopt the following resolutions as ‘Lomanthang Declaration’ on  democracy, media freedom and climate crisis.

Recalling Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as well as
that of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which state:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers;”
Considering also the Universal Declaration on Democracy (UDD-Clause 21) which says
“Democracy presupposes freedom of opinion and expression; this right implies freedom
to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers;

Adhering to the Nepal Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of the expression and press through several articles, including Article 17 (freedom of the opinion and expression), Article 19 (right to communications) and Article 27 (Right to Information);

Internalizing the notion that a free, independent, and ethical press is a necessity to hold power to account, that protects rights, and that brings truth into the light;

Noting that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development i.e. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as the Paris Declaration
highlight good governance and accountability as being central to development and the eradication of poverty and call for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, and acknowledging that press freedom and the right to know are essential to promoting democracy and ensuring respect for all human rights and  fundamental freedoms;
Affirming solidarity to the Brisbane Declaration (3rd May 2010) that reaffirms the Right
to Information as an integral part of the right to freedom of expression, and both of these
as fundamental underpinnings of democracy and all other rights and freedoms;
Emphasizing that the Right to Information is critical for informed decision-making,
broader social inclusion, fair monitoring of public actions, enhancing transparency and
accountability, and checking corruption;
Convinced through deliberations, and also through the sharing of regional experiences
of experts and panel discussions, that the democracy is indispensable for development mutual collaboration among the political parties, journalism and civil society organizations is instrumental in ensuring functional democracy and strengthening civic space;

Considering the UNESCO recommendations on the ethics of artificial intelligence and the European Union charter on the use of artificial intelligence in different sectors;
Considering the warnings issued by the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their reports on the planetary crisis resulting from climate change, and observing that these crises are affecting the lives and livelihoods;
Cognizant of the increasing pressure and heightened risks resulting from the climate crisis, and its threat to our common security;
Also cognizant of the threats the climate crisis creates for the enjoyment of human rights and, in particular, freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom, which are essential for societies to address environmental and climate challenges;

Taking into consideration the Global Principles for Information Integrity to ensure that facts—not falsehoods—drive public discourse, and the UNESCO’s landmark “Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence”—adopted unanimously by 193 Member States—outlining principles of human rights, transparency, non-discrimination, and accountability in the use of AI.

Remaining aware of many media professionals facing growing economic pressure, shrinking civic space, and digital insecurity as well as the issues of labour rights and sustainability

Highlighting the importance of conenctions between the democracy, free press and climate crisis for broader humanity and planet

Honoring the efforts of all who have worked to promoting and consolidating democracy and media freedom as well as combating climate crisis, and journalists and media personnel who contribute to denouncing and standing up against the acts of harassments, intimidation
and threats to media freedom, in any part of the nation and elsewhere in the world;

We hereby adopt the declaration with commitment and call for actions in the following themes.

Democracy:

• Implementation of the constitutional and statutory provisions on freedom of expression and opinion, particularly freedom of the press, right to communication and information being aware of the threat meted out against democracy from rising populism, all forms of extremism and restorative forces as well as apathy to execute federalism and bad governance
• NPU believes that democracy is indispensable for development and calls for the stakeholders to take the notion at the centre
• Being aware of the frustration and aggression to the political leadership and apathy to the political system, the reforms are needed to make democracy deliver and respond to the threats through actions.
• NPU believes that the political parties and CSOs as corollary of democracy need to complement to each other and strike delicate checks and balances so as to make State responsible, democratic and accountable. NPU calls for the actors to demonstrate championship for continuous reforms in the political system of the country.
• Call for promoting collaborative and consistent dialogue for advancing mutual collaboration among journalism,, political parties and civil society for strengthening public trust on democracy and the political system
• NPU believes this collaboration can defend civic space including freedom of the association, assembly and access to information and free press

Press freedom

• First the NPU expresses tributes to the journalists and free expression practitioners killed, harassed and intimidated across the globe including Gaza. NPU expresses its solidarity for the safety and security of journalists and call for ending impunity
• Calls for strengthening local media systems and ecosystem to address media gaps and enable media to defend democracy and free press and to combat climate crisis
• Calls for countering rising attacks on free press in the name of digital space regulation in the South Asian nations and beyond.
• Rising intolerance in multiple fronts has increased threats to freedom of expression and the press. Global populism, terrorism, extremism and authoritarianism as well as big tech have posed serious threats to democracy and press freedom. NPU believes that free press should not be the subject to attack in any pretexts.
• Address economic vulnerability, gaps in legal protections, and new legislative developments around media and social platforms call for scrutiny and inclusive dialogue.
• Digital surge in information landscape requires positive interventions with favourable laws and policies at all three tiers of the governments
• Build further awareness of journalists’ rights, better digital literacy, and a more connected media for defending democracy and media freedom as well as countering climate crisis
• Develop a credible and public interests media realizing the importance of strong information ecosystem and integrity

Climate crisis

• Access to information and transparency are connected. The informed society can only explore its role to counter the climate crisis
• Calls for eco-friendly inclusive and sustainable development – policy, planning, approaches and infrastructure
• Climate crisis is main agenda of the region so the political parties here should prioritize and express solidarity for addressing climate crisis at political level

Mustang- Lomanthang

• The trans-Himalayan district Mustang having cultural and natural unique features and trade potentials has faced the worst forms of impacts of climate change. In view of this, NPU believes to carry on dialogue and deliberations on the potential impacts of climate change in the connectivity issues and protecting the treasures and possibilities of the district
• Calls for the federal government to ensure smooth operation of Korala transit entry point between Nepal and China and complete the kaligandaki Corridor which NPU believes would significantly contribute to the development of the region
• Call for promoting cultural and religious tourism in the region by establishing connectivity between Muktinath, Damodar Kunda and Kalisah Mansarobar. NPU draws attention of all actors and stakeholders to materialize this potential of establishing connectivity and use it for the greater good of the region