Nepal's COP31 position paper is ready, minister tells parliamentary committee
Minister Gita Chaudhary says Nepal's position paper for the COP31 climate conference is ready. Officials say it will be made public at the National Climate Summit in Kathmandu on October 29.
Nepal's position paper for the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) is ready, Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, October 28. She said it would be finalised after taking into account suggestions raised during the climate conference. Officials said the paper will be made public at the National Climate Summit in Kathmandu on Thursday, October 29.
What the paper covers
Chaudhary told the House of Representatives' special committee on climate change impacts in the Himalayas, climate justice and the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli disaster that the paper draws on various reports and recommendations about how climate change has affected Nepal, Annapurna Post reported.
Dr Maheshwar Dhakal, chief of the ministry's climate change management division, told the committee that the paper covers adaptation, technology, finance and capacity building. He said an initial action plan of 31 points had been drawn up for COP31, and that further issues of infrastructure and climate-related damage were added to the agenda after the Bhote Koshi flood.
Chaudhary said Nepal's participation in COP31 would be inclusive, and that the ministry would review the conference and measure its results after the delegation returns.
Meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator
A day earlier, on Tuesday, October 27, UN Resident Coordinator Lila Pieters Yahia paid a courtesy call on Chaudhary at the ministry. According to the ministry, they discussed raising Nepal's climate agenda and climate-induced disasters effectively in international forums, and closer cooperation with UN agencies, Gorkhapatra reported.
Chaudhary told her that the "Living Sagarmatha: Mountain Agenda" has been approved and will be made public at the National Climate Summit. Nepal is preparing a dedicated pavilion at COP31 to present its experience of climate-induced disasters, and the minister said she expects UN agencies to help meet its costs. She also stressed that disasters such as the Bhote Koshi flood should be raised internationally as a priority. Support for the participation of young people, particularly Gen Z, and of journalists at COP31 was also discussed.
Biodiversity targets
Separately, at a programme on Nepal's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), Joint Secretary Deepak Gyawali of the ministry said the plan sets 36 targets with clear indicators, to be met by 2030, and that meeting them needs shared responsibility, coordination and measurable progress, Nagarik reported. In a video message, Chaudhary committed to turning the country's biodiversity pledges into concrete action.
A representative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) spoke about opportunities to raise funds by aligning the plan's priorities with the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF-9) and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF). Speakers from the Global Youth Biodiversity Network and from Indigenous peoples and local communities called for their meaningful part in biodiversity policy. The programme concluded that inclusive governance and sustainable finance are needed to protect biodiversity.