Everest Premier League (EPL) Pvt. Ltd. and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nepal have entered into a new partnership for the promotion and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nepal through sports. The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, are a bold, universal agreement to end poverty in all its dimensions and craft an equal, just and secure world – for the people, the planet and prosperity – by 2030.

Under this partnership, the UNDP and EPL will collaborate to undertake joint initiatives to raise awareness on the SDGs and mobilize relevant stakeholders and advocate for their contribution to the achievement of the Goals. The partnership will also explore ways to promote and maximize the contribution of sports, especially cricket, one of the most popular sports in the country, to the sustainable development of Nepal. 

The SDGs and the Agenda 2030 – adopted by the UN Member States, including Nepal, in September 2015 – recognize the private sector, youth and civil society as key partners in advancing the Global Goals. The sports sector provides a powerful medium for all countries across the globe to mobilize youth and other stakeholders in promoting the Global Goals. 

"We are very excited to enter this historic partnership with the United Nations endorsing the Sustainable Development Goals as our social agenda. We hope to be able to jointly promote the SDGs and make people aware about their individual responsibilities for us to be able to achieve sustainable development,” said Aamir Akhtar, founder of EPL. “Cricket in recent times, because of its popularity, has been a great tool for spreading social awareness and we believe we can make great impact to trigger social change through this partnership."

“UNDP is pleased to partner with the Everest Premier League for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Nepal,” said UNDP’s Country Director in Nepal, Renaud Meyer. “The sole motive of our partnership is to use the power of sports and in particular the popularity of cricket in Nepal to advance the SDGs. Sports provides not just a platform for advocacy and awareness, it is also part of our daily life.”

Country Director Meyer touched upon how crucial sports is to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all (Goal 3) and its potential to garner support for Nepal to achieve the SDGs by 2030. “Achieving the SDGs requires extensive partnerships and is not the sole responsibility of the government but everyone, including the private sector and civil society,” he said. “Achieving these Goals in each country will depend on collaborative partnerships between all key actors of development. We hope through the EPL we would be able to send this message loud and clear to the Nepali people.”   

Press inquires: Tel: 4437720, Email: tvshownamaste@gmail.com  | Tel: 5523200, Email: kamal.sigdel@undp.org