KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leaders have urged the prime minister to internationalize the Bhotekoshi disaster and the broader climate crisis facing Nepal during his upcoming address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Congress Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma and parliamentary party leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe met with the prime minister at Singha Durbar to convey their recommendations.
Vice President Sharma stated that the meeting was intended to send a message that the entire country stands with the prime minister as he prepares for the UN session. He said, “The Congress is providing all possible support to the government in the rescue, relief, rehabilitation and protection of the lives of the affected citizens after the Bhotekoshi disaster. Therefore, we have presented the suggestions from the discussions on climate change and the issues that Nepal should raise in the General Assembly to the prime minister.”
The Congress delegation emphasized that the Bhotekoshi disaster should not be presented merely as a local issue but should be linked to the global climate crisis. While noting that Nepal’s contribution to climate change is minimal, Sharma argued that the country is disproportionately affected and should take the lead in representing the voices of small and vulnerable nations on the international stage.
The Congress leaders suggested that the prime minister should use his address, as well as sideline meetings and diplomatic lobbying, to build international solidarity regarding climate change and the disasters Nepal is experiencing. Furthermore, they recommended that an all-party discussion be convened before the prime minister’s departure for the UN General Assembly.
