KATHMANDU: The third International Mother Language Journalism Conference has kicked off here under the slogan – ‘Foundation of Prosperity, Fully Inclusive Communication.’

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam inaugurated the three-day conference organized by the Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Nationalities Journalists (FoNIJ) and coordinated by the Newah Journalists National Association.

Three hundred journalists from within the country and 35 journalists from countries like India and Bangladesh, including federal MPs from various political parties, representatives from government and non-government organizations related to indigenous communities, and representatives from the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and SAARC Journalists’ Forum are attending the conference.

During the conference, experts and journalists will hold discussions on topics like ‘indigenous agriculture, food security, traditional knowledge, relationship with forests’, ‘mother language journalism in government media and the state of private media’, and ‘mother tongue journalism, climate change, forest management, government policies, practices, and indigenous communities’.

Journalists from 27 countries will also take part in the conference through virtual means.