Dr Oberle expressed IUCN's commitment to supporting the government's priorities regarding nature conservation and sustainable development, and emphasised how IUCN’s tools and expertise could help Nepal tackle climate change and create jobs at the same time. “Conservation initiatives cannot be successful without people’s engagement,” he said. The Prime Minister thanked IUCN for its support and requested its continued assistance in sustainably managing natural resources for the economic prosperity of the country – which Dr Oberle readily agreed to.

The Director General also met with Dr Rewati Raman Paudel, Secretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, and with Toyam Raya, Secretary, Ministry of Finance. He congratulated Nepal for successfully implementing participatory conservation and for going above and beyond the Saint Petersburg commitment of doubling the country’s population of wild tigers by 2022. Nepal tripled its tiger population from 121 in 2010 to 355 in 2022. Dr Oberle also expressed his sincere appreciation for Nepal’s successful collaboration on Global Environment Facility projects, for continuing to host IUCN within Nepal, and for exploring future avenues of joint work.

As part of his continued engagement with IUCN Members, the Director General participated in the Sixth Annual Joint Workshop that brought together the IUCN Nepal National Committee and IUCN’s Nepalese Commission members. Dr Oberle spoke about the Union’s vision for Members and Commissions, emphasising the importance of collaboration and collective action in achieving IUCN's goals.

Lastly, he visited Chitwan National Park, where he saw first-hand the work conducted through the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) inside the core park area as well as in the buffer zone community.