Kathmandu, March 20: In a bid to develop Nepal as the centre for Buddhism, a three-day-long International Conference on Lord Buddha and Buddhism is to be held on 19-21 May in Kathmandu.
Organising a news conference in the capital city on Saturday, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel said that Nepal is going to organise the conference to further glorify the birth place of Lord Buddha, Lumbini, worldwide.
The government is preparing to conduct the international–level conference for the massive publicity of the invaluable heritages remaining in Lumbini and disseminate the message of the world peace.
The Council of Ministers has already formed a 501-member the Main Organising Committee under the leadership of Minister Pokharel to make the conference a grand success.
On the occasion, Vice-Chairman of Lumbini Development Fund Nigrodh Siddhartha expressed his confidence that the conference would support for developing Lumbini as a spiritual centre and promote Nepal’s religious and cultural tourism.
The government has extended invitation to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, head of states of neighbouring countries and ministers for culture, high-level representatives from different countries and organisations as well as Buddhist scholars and monks for their participation in the international conference.