Nepal's Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, has arrived in Fiji to take part in the Pacific Pre-COP Leaders' Event. He is leading a four-member Nepali delegation. The event opened on Monday, October 5, 2026 and is meant to prepare for the UN climate summit COP31, to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20.
The leaders' part of the event runs from October 5 to 6 in Fiji and Tuvalu. The wider program continues through October 8. Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia are organizing it.
Khanal is scheduled to speak at the Leaders' Plenary in Fiji on October 6. Before that, he will join a media question-and-answer session with the preisdent of Palau and the prime ministers of Australia and Fiji. His speech has not been delivered yet.
After the Pacific meetings, Khanal will travel to Australia. He is to meet Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong on October 8 to discuss relations and cooperation between the two countries. He is due back in Kathmandu on October 12.
Nepal is expected to stress the climate risks facing the Himalayas and to call for climate justice. At Kathmandu Climate Week on October 2, Khanal said Nepal produces only 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but suffers heavily from climate change. He said climate justice must move from a slogan to real action.
He also called for new climate money that is easy to access and comes as grants, not loans that add to a country's debt. He said roads, bridges, power lines and towns should be built to withstand climate risks for the next 20 to 30 years. He wants research on glacier melt turned more quickly into early-warning systems for farmers and remote communities.
Khanal has linked Nepal's August 26 disaster to this argument. He says the flood destroyed roads, bridges and hydropower projects and forced the country to divert money to recovery.
During the UN General Assembly in September, Nepal held a " Sagarmatha to Sea" dialogue that brought together mountain, island and coastal countries. The Pacific trip is part of the same effort to link melting glaciers with rising seas.
Pacific countries are pushing to keep the 1.5°C warming limit within reach. They also want faster climate finance and a bigger role for oceans in the talks. Fiji's Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Lynda Tabuya, said, "The ocean and blue economy must be central to our climate negotiations."
Reports say developing countries need about $310 billion to $365 billion in a year to adapt to climate change, but only about $26 billion in adaptation finance was available in 2023.
The Pre-COP does not produce a binding deal. Its purpose is to let countries test ideas and find common ground before formal talks. It also gives Nepal a chance to build ties with other climate-vulnerable countries. Nepal's mountain risks differ from the threats facing island states, but both sides argue that countries that add little to global emissions often face the worst effects.
Khanal's speech on Tuesday will show how Nepal plans to place its Himalayan concerns within that group of countries.
