KATHMANDU: The Everest Summiteers Association (ESA) today celebrated its silver jubilee in Kathmandu, urging the government to address the concerns of the Nepali climbing community.

Addressing the gathering, Member of Parliament and record-holding climber Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, the chief guest of the event, said that tourism stakeholders, including ESA, are playing a crucial role in safeguarding the rights of mountain workers.

As the government finalises a new tourism bill, Sherpa urged the concerned tourism associations to actively participate in the deliberations to ensure the inclusion of their demands. “As a climber, I know the plight of the mountain climbers as well as the tourism stakeholders,” Sherpa said, adding that it is time to incorporate the longstanding demands of the tourism fraternity into the new tourism bill.

Sherpa also congratulated ESA on completing 25 years and for playing a vital role in safeguarding the rights of mountaineers, especially the Everest summiteers.

Phur Gelje Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), said that all stakeholders should be united to uplift the status of mountain workers. “As Nepal is home to various mountains, including the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest, there is a need to recognise the contribution of mountaineers in promoting Nepal’s tourism globally,” Sherpa said. As the NMA is hosting a meeting of the UIAA this year, it would lobby for the inclusion of six more peaks in the 8,000ers list, he informed.

Maya Sherpa, ESA’s president, shared that by marking the silver jubilee through reflection on their shared journey, the achievements on Mt Everest cannot be limited to individual success alone but are a way of expressing commitment to the mountain community, environment, and culture of the Himalayas. “ESA has stood at the forefront of lobbying the government for the well-being of Everest summiteers since its establishment in 2001.”

ESA’s first vice president, Diwas Pokhrel, urged the government to incorporate the demands of mountaineers into tourism policies and programmes. “The ESA wants to explore its greater responsibility in protecting these mountains and their legacy for generations to come,” Pokhrel said.

Besides many remarkable achievements, the ESA has taken a significant initiative that forced the Government of Nepal to resume the distribution of climber identity cards and badges, reminded Shiva Bahadur Sapkota, ESA’s general secretary, while demanding a mountaineers' welfare fund and an increase in the quota of liaison officers for the ESA.

The event was attended by senior government officials, renowned mountaineers, members of the mountaineering and tourism fraternity, as well as well-wishers. A book profiling renowned mountaineers was also unveiled in the event. Mountaineers, expedition agencies, and others were also felicitated on the occasion. The participants also paid tribute to climbers who lost their lives in the Broad Peak avalanche last month.