A half-day conference at Columbia University will focus on the possibilities, as well as the problems or challenges, in the strategically located kingdom of Nepal today and look at the prospects for the future. Nepalese and foreign experts and public figures from different professional fields will present their views and analyses of the political, economic and social situation in this landlocked South Asian country embedded between China and India, discuss the issues and hopefully conclude with recommendations for the way forward. Sher Bahadur Deuba will make a key presentation. He was Nepal’s prime minister from 1995 to 1997, 2001 to 2002, and again from June 2, 2004 until February 1, 2005 He was released from prison in February 2006 by an order of Nepal’s Supreme Court, after being sentenced to two years in prison in July 2005 on corruption charges, . Date: March 22, 2 pm to 6:30 pm. Place: Room 1501 at the School of International and Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street, 15th Floor, Columbia University, Manhattan. Contacts: (212) 496-2700; Jr2218@columbia.edu jasminehenz@radonoffices.com