Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly, delivering an urgent warning from Nepal regarding the catastrophic impacts of climate change on mountain communities and demanding global climate justice. Speaking on behalf of a young nation recovering from recent devastating flash floods, the Prime Minister highlighted the epic destruction of infrastructure and human lives across the Himalayas.
According to the address, catastrophic flash floods that swept through mountain communities four weeks ago, described as a "Himalayan Tsunami," caused widespread devastation along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli region. The disaster resulted in at least 1,400 confirmed deaths and left over 6,000 people missing, with physical recovery needs estimated at approximately 10 percent of Nepal's Gross Domestic Product.
Prime Minister Shah stated that while Nepal contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the nation pays a colossal price through retreating glaciers, permafrost thaw, and unpredictable river flows. To address these transboundary hazards affecting nearly two billion people across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, he proposed establishing a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism led by Nepal, India, and China to share satellite data, monitor glacial lakes, and coordinate early warning systems.
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Critiquing the current international order, the Prime Minister noted that global logistics efficiently deliver weapons across borders within seventy-two hours while failing to deliver essential supplies like fertilizers and fuel to farmers. He called for adequate grant-based climate financing rather than debt-creating loans, urging world leaders to move beyond ad-hoc responses toward six foundational principles: Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Responsibility, Reparation, and Resilience.
Nepal announced it will help lead discussions on climate adaptation starting with the "Sagarmatha to the Sea" side-event at the United Nations, reaffirming its commitment to international cooperation, democratic accountability, and a fairer global economic order.
