न्यूज अभियान
हरेक खबर विशेष खबर

Antalya (Turkiye) Nov 12: Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment, Gita Chaudhary, has said protection of Himalayan ecosystem and communities warrants international unity. She stressed urgency of managing grant-based climate finance for it.

    In her address to the discussion on ‘Living Sagarmatha: Global Solidarity and Mobilization of Climate Finance’ organized at the Nepal Pavilion under the ongoing UN Conference on Climate Change (COP31) in Turkiye today, Minister Chaudhary reminded the global community that the Himalayas are the life support of humanity.

    "The Himalayas provide water, clean air and a basis for biodiversity to more than two billion people living in the lower coastal areas. However, this region is at the receiving end of climate change," Minister Chaudhary added.

    Irrespective of contributing less than 0.1 percent to the GHG emissions in the world, Nepal is suffered disproportionately by the climate change. It is sheer example of climate injustice, according to her.

    The Minister also brought to light the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi glacial disaster that took the lives of about 1,500 people, while over 5,000 were missing. She informed that some 10 percent of Nepal's GDP is needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Similar disaster occurred in the Budhigandaki Corridor.

    Nepal has advanced the strategy of 'Living Sagarmatha: Nepal Mountain Resilience' in order to deal with the climate crisis. The strategy collectively deals with climate action, biodiversity conservation, economic prosperity, protection of social and cultural heritage and regional diplomacy.

    A robust international cooperation is imperative to enforce the strategy. She stressed the need for inclusion of a mountain agenda permanently in the process of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the establishment of an annual high-level dialogue for regular monitoring and discussion of the risks in the mountainous areas.

    "What occurs on Mount Sagarmatha gradually spreads with effects to other places, thereby reaching the ocean," she said, adding, "All of us are partners in one planet, one water system and a shared future." International partners, financial institutions, civil society and other mountain nations need collaboration with Nepal to protect the communities of mountain countries and build climate resilience, according to her.