KATHMANDU: 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’.