KATHMANDU: The Sunrise International Convention Centre in Godawari, a government-built venue designed to host national and international conferences, now lies in ruins after being set ablaze and vandalized during the Gen-Z protests on September 9, 2025.
The violence left the centre’s main conference hall completely gutted, with its roof collapsing under intense flames. Glass panels, interior facilities and other physical infrastructure were also extensively damaged, leaving the once-modern complex largely unusable.
Although the convention centre is a government-owned facility, protesters reportedly targeted it because it had hosted the CPN-UML’s statute convention from September 5 to 7, 2025, and was inaugurated by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Constructed on 43 ropanis and 15 annas of land in Godawari, the convention centre has the capacity to accommodate around 3,000 participants. The Ministry of Urban Development laid its foundation stone on November 21, 2019, and it was virtually inaugurated by then Prime Minister Oli on May 14, 2021.
The project was initially awarded at a cost of around Rs 620 million, but the total expenditure later rose to nearly Rs 810 million after extensions to the construction period. The facility has been operated by the International Convention Centre Development Committee since June 2021.
The destruction of the convention centre has dealt a significant financial blow to the state, reducing one of Nepal’s largest purpose-built conference venues to ruins and leaving its future uncertain.
Photos: Nepal Photo Library
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