First National Autism Summit Concludes in Nepal, Kathmandu Declaration on Autism Inclusion 2026 Signed

October 4, Kathmandu.

Nepal’s first Autism Summit was held on September 19 at the Nepal Administrative Staff College in Lalitpur.

More than 300 participants attended this summit, which was the first national and multisectoral conference on autism inclusion held in Nepal. The event saw significant participation from senior government officials, parliamentarians, parents and family members, representatives of non-governmental organizations, doctors, and therapists.

The summit was jointly organized by 19 organizations, including Inclusive Education Nepal, Samanata School, Kathmandu University School of Education, Autism Care Nepal Society, and Aakar Foundation Nepal. The summit was conducted under six thematic areas.

These topics included early identification and early education; parents, family, and legal guardianship; economic empowerment and social accountability; health, science, and technology; policy, good governance, and advocacy; and education and research. Separate teams were formed for each thematic area. These teams presented their conclusions, prepared through various stages of discussion before the summit, at the event.

During the summit, Nepal’s first national data on autism in school and family support systems was also released. This provided an authentic basis for policymakers and the newly formed task force for future work.

At the conclusion of the summit, the Government of Nepal and the co-organizing and partner organizations of the summit signed the ‘Kathmandu Declaration on Autism Inclusion 2026’.

The declaration commits to early identification and educational support for children with autism, an inclusive education system with trained teachers and adapted curricula, strengthening legal guardianship and family support structures, expanding employment opportunities and social security for adults with autism, investing in health services and research suitable for the Nepali context, and implementing policies by coordinating among various ministries.

The declaration also provides for the formation of a national task force on autism. The task force includes representatives from the government, organizing institutions, and families. This task force will implement the commitments made in the declaration in the coming days.

Ram Tiwari, Director of Inclusive Education Nepal, stated in his inaugural address, “This issue cannot be addressed by a single institution or individual alone. Every ministry present here holds a piece of the problem, but no one holds the entire problem. Therefore, we invited everyone to gather in the same hall, on the same day, to collectively seek an answer to a single question.”

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