- Thursday, 24 September 2026
Kathmandu, Sept 24: Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal held a bilateral meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Porgerour Katrin Gunnarsdottir, on the sideline of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers shared perspective on the unpredictable economic and human costs resulting from climate change-related disasters including the recent devastating Bhotekoshi flood in Nepal.
They also underlined the importance of whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach for timely recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
They also reaffirmed the imperative of strengthening global solidarity and cooperation to address the intensifying climate change, capacity gaps and resources constraints. —
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal has stated that stronger cooperation between mountainous nations and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is essential to amplify the collective voice of countries vulnerable to climate change.
Addressing a meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) in New York, on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday, Minister Khanal highlighted how the rapid melting of glaciers in the Himalayas contributes to rising sea levels via river systems, noting that both mountainous and island nations are facing similar impacts from the climate crisis.
“From glacial lake outburst floods in Himalayan valleys to powerful hurricanes in the Caribbean, frontline communities are paying the price with their lives, homes, and decades of development achievements for emissions they did not create,” he said.
Noting that climate change has posed serious challenges to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Minister Khanal stated that progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has not moved at the expected pace globally, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although Nepal has made significant strides in sustainable development, climate-induced disasters frequently undermine the social and economic achievements the country has secured.
Citing the example of the Bhote Koshi floods, Minister Khanal noted that a sudden disaster could inflict severe damage on vital highways, hydropower projects, schools, hospitals, and the livelihoods of local communities.
Highlighting Nepal’s commitment to nature-friendly economic development, its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, Minister Khanal emphasized the need to restructure the international development system to accelerate climate-resilient development, reform the development finance system, increase investment in forecast-based science and early warning systems, accelerate green and digital transformations and make financial assistance for loss and damage effective.
He stated that Nepal welcomes the operationalization of a Lifeline Fund designed to provide rapid financial resources when climate-induced disasters create severe balance-of-payment pressures.
Minister Khanal stated that genuine restructuring of development systems requires shifting from risk-prone conditions to structural resilience, moving from ad-hoc humanitarian aid to predictable development finance, and transitioning from fragmented efforts toward deep collaboration between mountain and island nations.
“Nepal is committed to collaborating with all members of the forum to strengthen our collective voice and ensure a shared, secure future for generations to come,” he said. Currently chaired by Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, the Climate Vulnerable Forum is an international partnership of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet.
Serving as a South-South intergovernmental cooperation platform, it is working to advance medium-term economic growth and development alongside long-term resilience and prosperity. It currently comprises 74 member countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific, representing 1.7 billion people or 22.4 per cent of the global population.
Collectively, these nations contribute only 7.3 per cent of global emissions, yet they face some of the most severe climate impacts. —
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has made a strong and urgent appeal to the international community, noting “it is time to decisively move from commitments to implementation”.
He made the appeal while addressing the High-Level Meeting on Climate Action and Just Transition at the UN Headquarters in New York, on the margins of the 81st session of the UNGA on Wednesday. Highlighting the recent devastating floods in Nepal—described as a “Himalayan Tsunami”—the Minister shared the grim reality of the disaster, which has caused over 5 billion US dollars in damages, equivalent to nearly 15 per cent of the nation’s GDP.
Despite contributing less than 0.1 per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions, Nepal continues to face the harsh and disproportionate impacts of a crisis it did not create. The Minister emphasized that this is no longer just a humanitarian emergency; it is a development emergency, a crisis of justice, and an existential threat to frontline communities, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s previous warnings from the Himalayas, he reminded the world that “what happens in the Himalayas does not stay in the Himalayas.”
Calling for transitioning from fragmented, reactive aid to adequate, upfront, and easily accessible climate finance before disasters strike, he stressed that universal access to early warning systems, climate information services, and resilient infrastructure should be ensured.
In addition, swift capitalization and simplified access to the Loss and Damage Fund should be sneered and rapid and affordable financing should be mobilized through the Multilateral Development Banks during crises.
The 1.5°C temperature goal to ensure the survival of both mountain and coastal communities must be attained, Minister Khanal said while appealing to global leaders, civil society, and the private sector to treat climate action ‘not as charity, but as justice’. —
