Kathmandu, Sept 30: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, who returned home after attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly, has said Nepal’s push for “climate justice” drew serious international attention and helped raise the country’s diplomatic profile.

Speaking to journalists at Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday, Khanal said Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s address and Nepal’s interventions at various forums helped strengthen the country’s international standing.

Khanal said Nepal highlighted the impact of climate change on mountainous countries by presenting the recent Bhotekoshi flood as a “Himalayan tsunami.” During bilateral and multilateral meetings, Nepal sought financial and technical assistance for post-flood reconstruction.

He said Nepal was now seeking to move beyond emergency relief by calling for effective mobilisation of climate finance and the Loss and Damage Fund to reduce future disaster risks and compensate countries suffering climate-related losses.

During the visit, Nepal established diplomatic relations with three more countries, Grenada, Namibia and Senegal, taking the number of countries with which it has diplomatic ties to 188. Nepal also signed agreements with several countries on visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic and service passports.

“The General Assembly provided us an opportunity to present Nepal’s historic political changes, the policies and programmes of the current government, and citizens’ aspirations for prosperity,” Khanal said.

He said Prime Minister Shah’s call to simplify access to resources available through climate financing mechanisms, including the Loss and Damage Fund, was particularly important.

Nepal also thanked neighbouring countries and the wider international community for their assistance in search, rescue and relief operations following the Bhotekoshi disaster and sought further support for reconstruction.

Khanal expressed confidence that the visit had laid the groundwork for more effective diplomacy and stronger promotion of Nepal’s national interests.

He also claimed that Prime Minister Shah’s address was among the most watched and closely followed speeches at this year’s General Assembly.

The foreign minister thanked the United States and the United Arab Emirates for announcing financial assistance for flood victims, adding that other international partners had also responded positively to Nepal’s reconstruction needs.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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