Speaker

Dr. Dipak Gyawali

Dipak Gyawali is a hydroelectric power engineer and political economist who served as Nepal’s Minister of Water Resources (2002–2003), where he championed reforms in electricity and irrigation with a focus on decentralization and rural participation. He has held visiting positions at institutions such as the UN University (Japan), LSE, Oxford, and the East-West Center (Hawaii), and his research explores the intersection of technology, society, and environmental governance. Mr. Gyawali has contributed to several national and international water and energy commissions, including the Mekong River Commission, and is a founding figure behind key Nepali institutions like the Rural Self-Reliance Development Center and the Nepal School of Social Sciences and Humanities. He is currently a guest senior research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and advises various international and national organizations. His latest book is Aid, Technology and Development: The Lessons from Nepal.