KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba has urged global collective action to tackle climate change, calling it a “borderless phenomenon” posing a serious threat to human civilization.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Parliamentarians’ Meet 2025 in Kathmandu, Minister Rana stressed that climate change transcends boundaries and geographies, making global cooperation essential.
“Climate change is a common concern against human civilization. It goes beyond any specific boundary and geography. So, a solution must be found,” she said.
Minister Rana stressed the importance of taking action through legal frameworks, resource mobilization, and accountability mechanisms.
Citing the 2025 World Meteorological Organisation report, she noted that global temperatures have reached the critical 1.5-degree Celsius threshold for the first time. She urged rapid decarbonization, long-term cost reduction strategies, and concerted efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.
Highlighting the legal dimension, the minister pointed out that the recent judgment of the International Court of Justice has made states legally responsible for protecting the climate, reducing emissions, addressing severe impacts, and preventing transboundary hazards.
Referring to recent devastating floods in India, Pakistan, and Nepal that claimed lives, left many missing, and damaged infrastructure, Minister Rana warned that the Hindu Kush Himalaya region is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts.
She added that Nepal suffers greatly from earthquakes, melting glaciers, erratic rainfall, biodiversity loss, floods, and landslides despite contributing minimally to global carbon emissions, calling for climate justice for the country.
She also recalled the first edition of the ‘Sagarmatha Sambaad,’ held in Kathmandu last May, where global leaders, thinkers, and policymakers issued a 25-point roadmap to mitigate climate change impacts.
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