Washington’s engagement with Nepal’s new government is set to reach its highest level yet, with a senior State Department official due in Kathmandu at the end of the month.
Sarah B Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, will arrive on a three-day visit beginning 30 May, making her the most senior American diplomat to visit since Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s government took office in March.
In the State Department hierarchy, the under secretary rank sits above assistant secretary and below deputy secretary, with six under secretaries currently serving in total. Rogers follows two officials who visited separately in April: Samir Paul Kapur, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, who held talks on bilateral relations and Nepal’s investment climate, and Sergio Gor, President Trump’s special envoy for the region, who focused on trade and economic ties.
Her visit coincides with a planned ceremony on 31 May honouring US Embassy public affairs chief Mike Harker, who on 20 May became the first serving American Foreign Service Officer to summit Mount Everest. Rogers is expected to attend as the chief guest, alongside Nepal’s Ascent Summit 2026, an event exploring the future of Himalayan expedition tourism.