SONEUK President Meets British Ambassador to Discuss Nepal-UK Engineering Ties 

Kathmandu – The President of the Society of Nepalese Engineers UK (SONEUK), Engineer Subodh Timilsina, met with British Ambassador to Nepal, Rob Fenn, to discuss ongoing and future collaborations between engineers in the UK and Nepal.

During the meeting on Tuesday at the British Embassy in Lainchaur, President Timilsina briefed the Ambassador on SONEUK’s activities. He shared that the organisation has been facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise between UK-based engineers and their counterparts in Nepal.

Timilsina informed the Ambassador that SONEUK recently hosted a discussion in Nepal on building codes for earthquake-resistant housing. He also mentioned that SONEUK is planning a webinar in collaboration with the Society of Transport Engineers Nepal, focusing on urban transport improvements informed by international experience.

He further highlighted that SONEUK had previously held an interaction programme addressing the challenges and opportunities of the 1,200 MW Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project. “We have started providing suggestions to the Government of Nepal regarding the development of a building code for earthquake-resistant construction,” he said. Emphasising that earthquakes themselves do not claim lives but rather the collapse of weak structures does, he noted that the recent earthquake in Myanmar should serve as a warning for Nepal. He urged the British Government to support Nepal in constructing earthquake-resilient housing.

Ambassador Rob Fenn praised SONEUK’s work, acknowledging that engineers working abroad can make significant contributions to their home country through their skills and experience. He encouraged the Nepali diaspora to take a leadership role, as seen in the Indian diaspora, for the betterment of Nepal. The Ambassador also affirmed the British Embassy’s willingness to collaborate with professional organisations like SONEUK.

The meeting was also attended by former BBC journalist Bhagirath Yogi and young entrepreneur Sambridh Timilsina.