Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has been included in TIME100 Climate 2026, TIME magazine’s annual collection of people working to advance climate action.
The selection announcement credits Wagle with 28 years in sustainable economic development as a researcher, policymaker and elected politician, and with advocacy for climate justice and for climate finance for vulnerable countries. His official government biography describes more than 25 years of experience.
TIME100 Climate is a media list, not a scientific award or an official assessment of a country’s climate performance.
Background event
The Ministry of Finance’s disaster portal, citing figures from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority as of Sept 20, recorded 1,451 casualties, including 530 sets of human remains, and 5,786 people missing. It said 13,784 people were rescued and 10,178 injured people were treated. The ministry said the missing figure may include unidentified remains, rescued people and duplicate records, and is still being verified.
Wagle’s background
Wagle holds a BSc in economics from the London School of Economics, a master’s in public administration in international development from Harvard, and a PhD in economics from the Australian National University.
He worked at the World Bank and as Chief Economic Advisor at the UN Development Programme’s Asia-Pacific bureau. He served as a member and later vice-chairperson of the National Planning Commission between 2014 and 2018, and co-led the post-earthquake needs assessment in 2015, which underpinned international reconstruction commitments of about US$4 billion. He led the Institute for Integrated Development Studies from 2019 to 2026.
He represents Tanahun-1 and was elected to a second term in March 2026.
