KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari held meetings with high level officials in New York (NY) yesterday in terms of attending the 63rd session of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW-63).

The President held a meeting with António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations at his office. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on issues, including multilateralism, Climate Change, SDGs, peacekeeping, and post-earthquake reconstruction, according to the Nepal’s Permanent Mission to UN in New York.

At the meeting the Secretary-General recalled his first visit to Nepal in 1978, and appreciated Nepal for playing an active role at the UN, including through contributions in peacekeeping missions.

Likewise, President met with María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the PGA, and appreciated her for taking leadership on important issues, including through organizing the event, ‘Women in Power.’

The President also held separate bilateral meetings with the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid and the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

During the meeting with the Estonian counterpart, the two sides discussed pressing global issues such as climate change and  sustainable development among others.

Similarly, during her meeting with the President of Croatia, matters of mutual interests, including women in political leadership, were discussed. In both the meetings, the leaders expressed satisfaction over the warm bilateral relations while exchanging views on ways to enhance them.

The President attended a dinner hosted in her honour by Ambassador, Amrit Bahadur Rai, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations at his official residence.

Also on the same day, the President attended a high-level luncheon with ‘Young Women Leaders’ jointly hosted by the PGA and the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations.

President Bhandari is scheduled to leave New York for Kathmandu on Thursday and arrive in the capital on 15th March.