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KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that Nepal had a unique and effective presentation at the recently held COP28, the UN Climate Conference.
PM Dahal said so while addressing the nation on the occasion of the completion of a year of the incumbent government from the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministers of Council at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
"The visit of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Nepal at my invitation and Nepal's presentation at the COP28 held in Dubai last month was unique and effective," Dahal observed.
The COP28 was held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 30 November to 12 December.
Stating that separate sideline meetings were organised for the first time at the COP28 conference, the prime minister pledged that Nepal will now and onwards take the lead to raise the voice of the mountainous countries facing crisis due to climate change
It may be noted that Nepal also had its own pavilion for the first time at the global climate conference where experts, media persons and stakeholders could deliberate on the issues of climate change.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed his commitment to working towards protecting and promoting the achievements of COP28 and viewed that the time has come for Nepal to enhance advocacy on climate justice and equality more effectively.
"We will continue prodding the international community to fulfil its obligation of reducing carbon emission, the major cause of climate crisis, and to mobile climate finance for climate actions," the Head of the Government assured.
He added that an inter-ministerial mechanism and an international negotiation team comprising experts will be formed, with a mandate to present Nepal's priorities and garner opportunities in the multilateral negotiations including in the United Nations.
PM Dahal expressed his commitment to lobbying to increase Nepal's access to carbon trade and the Green Climate Fund as well as to further strengthen the institutional mechanism.
Relations with India and China strong and well balanced
PM Dahal, during his address, asserted that strong and balanced relations have been maintained with India and China. According to him, there has been an increase in assistance and cooperation from the two neighbouring countries in the development endeavours of Nepal lately.
Dahal said, "I have clearly stated the priorities, concerns and matters of cooperation in my foreign visits as the prime minister. In the World Food Conference held in Italy's Rome, Nepal's presentation of food security and addressing the problems faced by the least developed countries has drawn the world's attention to the issue."
Similarly, the matters presented by Nepal in the United Nations General Assembly and other sideline events have also equally attracted international communities' attention, PM Dahal said.
Mentioning that that the rapid rescue of the Nepali citizens in the wake of Hamas militant group's attack in Israel was an exemplary deed in itself, he informed, "The way we rescued 31 Nepalis from Sudan, I am constantly holding diplomatic talks for the speedy rescue of the Nepalis trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war."
On a different note, PM Dahal shared that he had held discussions with all stakeholders regarding the problems of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).
Empathising with the Kathmandu Valley's residents' unfulfilled dream of availing water from the project, he assured that the narrative that the MWSP's water will not be supplied to Kathmandu will be proven wrong. "I am working with a compact plan of 28 days to supply 170 million litres of water daily to Kathmandu Valley," he vowed.
According to him, talks on the second phase of Melamchi Project were underway and the structural reform of the agencies related to water supply will be highly prioritised, he said.
