Kathmandu, 18 September (H.S.): Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah is travelling to New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. During his five-day visit, Prime Minister Shah is scheduled to hold only one bilateral meeting — with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Prime Minister Shah will depart for New York on September 22 and address the United Nations General Assembly on the morning of September 25. He is scheduled to return home on September 26 and will spend three days in New York.

Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said Prime Minister Shah will meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres. According to a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, apart from the meeting with the Secretary-General and his address to the General Assembly, no other high-level bilateral engagements have been scheduled for the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Shah has shown little interest in meeting other leaders. He has assigned responsibility for all bilateral meetings to Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal. Prime Minister Shah will also not attend the meeting titled “From Sagarmatha to the Sea: A Call for a Climate-Resilient Future”, which Nepal will host during the General Assembly. Foreign Minister Khanal will chair the meeting.

The meeting will discuss the adverse impacts of global climate change, particularly on the Himalayan regions, and the devastating consequences arising from them. Nepal’s objective is to draw the international community’s attention to the issue.

The Nepali delegation led by Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal will remain in New York for around 10 days and participate in various high-level meetings. Khanal will leave for New York on Saturday. He will attend high-level meetings on UN peacekeeping missions, health, climate change and least developed countries, and will also deliver statements on behalf of Nepal.

Foreign Minister Khanal is also scheduled to meet Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Han Zheng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Vice President of China.

According to Foreign Secretary Rai, Prime Minister Shah will draw the international community’s attention to the repeated large-scale loss of lives and property suffered by Nepal as a result of climate change and climate-induced disasters. He will also raise the issue that despite Nepal’s very low carbon emissions, the country continues to face severe adverse impacts of climate change.

Prime Minister Shah’s visit comes in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi region. Against this backdrop, climate justice is expected to be a central theme of his address.

Discussions are currently underway on the draft of Prime Minister Shah’s General Assembly speech. Officials at the Prime Minister’s Office are working to finalise the address. According to officials, suggestions received from experts as well as through social media are also being incorporated into the speech.

From the international platform, Prime Minister Shah will call for immediate and adequate compensation to Nepal for losses and damage caused by climate change. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he will appeal to developed and affluent countries to provide Nepal with the necessary technology and climate finance on accessible and concessional terms for developing climate-resilient infrastructure, promoting climate-smart agriculture and building the capacity of relevant stakeholders.

Nepal will also highlight its contribution to global environmental protection through its nature-friendly way of life, more than 46 percent forest cover, vast Himalayan territory and extensive river systems.

An official at the Prime Minister’s Office said it would not be possible for Nepal to receive compensation immediately after the Prime Minister’s address. Prime Minister Shah will place the issue before the international community as a political agenda, after which the government machinery will work to take the matter forward.

The high-level Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Shah will comprise a total of 16 members this time. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 members will travel to New York with the Prime Minister, while five will accompany Foreign Minister Khanal.

The delegation will include the Prime Minister’s Chief Adviser Kumar Vyanjanakar, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Joint Secretary Krishnaprasad Dhakal and Chief Protocol Officer Kumar Kharel, among other officials. Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Lok Bahadur Thapa, will also be part of the delegation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar