Nepal at UN's 81st Convention

Nepal split its delegation into two waves.

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal departed first from Kathmandu on September 20 to get a head start on meetings before the Prime Minister arrived. PM Shah followed two days later, leaving Tribhuvan International Airport on September 22 with a small team: Khanal, Chief Advisor Kumar Byanjankar, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and a handful of senior aides. Something that was different observes to previous years on Prime Ministerial departures was no red carpet, no military guard of honour, no elaborate farewell ceremony . Shah flew out through Doha before reaching New York.

Events related to Nepal

1) PM Shah addressing the General Assembly- Shah addressed the General Assembly's general debate on Friday morning, September 25. In it, he opened with a line that set the tone for everything after: "I come before you from Nepal, a distant country in the Himalayas, carrying a close warning for humanity." He used the platform to speak on topics related to climate change, climate justice, inequitites, conflicts, raise Nepal's roadmap out of Least Developed Country status, its ongoing peace process, and its progress on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

One concrete proposal stood out: a "Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism" , which Shah suggested should be jointly led by Nepal, India and China an idea that, if it goes anywhere, would be a notable piece of regional climate diplomacy.

2)SAGARMATHA TO THE SEA- The day after PM's main speech, Nepal hosted its own high-level side event at the UN itself, titled "Sagarmatha to the Sea: A Call to Action for a Climate- Resilient Future." Shah also previewed it directly in his Assembly speech: " Starting tomorrow at the ' Sagarmatha to the Sea' side event right here at the United Nations, Nepal is ready to help lead this conversation." The idea behind this event is to link the climate vulnuerability of landlocked mountain countries like Nepall with that of small island developing states . These are the two groups that rarely coordinate despite facing versions of the same underlying problem just from the opposite ends of a warming planet.

3)MEETING THE UN'S TOP OFFICIAL- Before addressing the assembly, Shah held a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres. The main topic discussed were Bhotekoshi disaster with the risk of the similar catastrophe remaining high.

4)BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL MEETINGS -

Foreign Minister Khanal since arriving took part in roughly 40 separate meetings, both bilateral and multilateral which included:

a) Ministerial meetings for the Least Developed Countries group, the Landlocked Developing Countries group

b) Non-Aligned Movement and the G-77 and China bloc,

c) Meeting with Australia's Foreign Minister specifically focused on flood reconstruction support

d) Multiple Asia Society events and other high level side discussions.

Nepal's bilateral engagements focused mainly on expanding cooperation beyond traditional political relations. Discussions with foreign counterparts covered mainly ;

i) climate action and adaptation

ii) disaster preparedness and relief

iii) sustainable development

iv) development financing

v) hydropower and renewable energy

vi) tourism and technology

vii) employment and education

viii) cybersecurity and early warning systems

5)THE NEW DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSHIP- Nepal formally established new diplomatic ties with three nations, bringing the total network of diplomatic relations to 188 countries. The three nations are Federal States Of Micronesia, Grenada,Senegal.

Nepal’s participation in the 81st UN General Assembly placed the country’s climate vulnerability, disaster recovery needs and development concerns at the centre of its international message. The visit produced new diplomatic contacts and commitments, but its lasting value will depend on whether those messages lead to financial support, stronger regional cooperation and concrete action at home.