| Infobox/ktmdbt | |
| Above: | Kathmandu Debates |
| Headerstyle: | background:#C8C8C8; |
| Labelstyle: | background:#E1E1FF; |
| Header1: | General Information |
| Label2: | Started |
| Data2: | 2013 by Sano Sansar Initiative |
| Label3: | Website |
| Data3: | www.sanosansar.org/ktmdebates |
| Label4: | Key People |
| Data4: | Sagar Aryal, "Initiator" Pradeep Ghimire, "Tournament Director" |
| Label5: | Focus |
| Data5: | Karl Popper Debating Championship |
| Label6: | |
| Data6: | Kathamandu-Debates-Official-Site |
The Kathmandu Debates is a high school debating championship led by the youth of the Sano Sansar Initiative. The program aims to provide a platform to encourage young people to engage in social, political, and sustainable economic development issues through the use of the positive aspects of debating.[1]
The 2013 Kathmandu Debates commenced with educational tracks focused on providing knowledge of debating in the Karl Popper Debating Championship Format to the students in Nepal. More than a hundred young, amateur students participated in the debate tournament, organized with support from the American Embassy in Kathmandu.[2] Nepal is one of the countries mostly dependent on remittances. The finals of the debate consisted of the motion "THBT [This house believes that] State should prioritize Foreign Investment to Labor Export as Major Economic Strategy". The final debate took place on February 7, 2013, the 7th Anniversary of the Sano Sansar Initiative.[3]
The Kathmandu Debates Tournament was organized in the KPDC (Karl Popper Debating Championship) Format. Teams were composed of four students accompanied by a debate coach. Due to the lack of debating culture in Nepal and with KPDC being a new style of debate in Nepal, the 2013 Kathmandu Debates held a three-day educational track for the students.[4]