Kathmandu, 08 October (H.S.): An emergency proposal submitted by Nepal on climate-related disasters has secured the required two-thirds majority at the ongoing 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania. The IPU’s official documentation confirms that the Assembly is being held in Arusha from October 5 to 9, 2026.

The emergency agenda item titled “Urgent parliamentary action to address climate-related disasters and strengthen resilience in the Himalayan region and other vulnerable regions” was presented by Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal Dol Prasad (D.P.) Aryal and received the requisite two-thirds majority in the Assembly.

On the occasion, Speaker Aryal described the Himalayas as a shared heritage of humanity and Asia’s “water tower”, saying that the growing threat posed by climate change to the Himalayan region, glaciers and glacial lakes has emerged as a challenge for the entire human civilisation.

Referring to the climate-induced disasters Nepal has experienced in recent times, he said that shared responsibility and cooperation among parliaments around the world are essential to advancing climate justice and ensuring parliamentary accountability.

Aryal said the Assembly’s adoption of Nepal’s proposal was not merely Nepal’s responsibility, but a shared responsibility of all IPU member countries and parliamentarians. He stressed the need to make parliamentary climate diplomacy more effective in addressing climate-induced disasters.

The proposal calls for the development of an appropriate legal framework to ensure access among member countries to cross-border early warning systems and technologies related to climate and weather events. It also underlines the need for parliaments to hold the executive branches of relevant countries accountable for implementing their climate commitments.

Speaker Aryal urged the international community to move beyond a blame-oriented approach and work towards developing shared solutions to protect people affected by climate-related disasters, uphold justice and secure a safe future for vulnerable communities.

In an effort to secure the two-thirds majority required for the proposal to be included on the emergency agenda, Speaker Aryal had appealed to members of the Assembly to support Nepal’s initiative.

Voting on the proposal:

In favour: 901 votes

Against: 78 votes

Abstained: 140 votes

Under Rule 11.2(b) of the IPU Assembly, if more than one emergency proposal secures the required majority, only the proposal receiving the largest number of positive votes is included on the agenda. In accordance with this provision, Nepal’s proposal, having received the highest number of affirmative votes, was selected as the emergency item.

The IPU’s official rules state that a request for inclusion of an emergency item must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, and that only one emergency item may be placed on the Assembly agenda if multiple proposals obtain the required majority.

Nepal’s proposal will now be taken up for discussion under the emergency agenda of the 153rd IPU Assembly. The deliberations will focus on challenges arising from climate-induced disasters, the protection of the Himalayas and glaciers, disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, technical and financial cooperation, and parliamentary initiatives required to strengthen resilience in vulnerable regions.

The 153rd IPU Assembly is being held in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, from October 5 to 9, 2026, bringing together parliamentarians from around the world for high-level parliamentary discussions and action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar