KATHMANDU: Uncertainty continues over whether Prime Minister Balendra Shah will attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Following Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmit Pokhrel avoided giving a clear answer when journalists asked whether the prime minister would travel to New York.
With growing discussion that the Bhotekoshi flood of Bhadra 10 was linked to climate change, pressure has increased on Prime Minister Shah to attend the UN General Assembly and raise Nepal’s concerns on the global stage.
However, Pokhrel, who is considered close to Prime Minister Shah, did not provide a clear indication of whether a decision had been made.
“Rather than whether the prime minister goes or not, what is more important is taking Nepal’s voice to the world. We still have to discuss through which means and how that voice should be raised,” Pokhrel told journalists after Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to begin on September 8, with growing calls for Prime Minister Shah himself to attend and raise issues related to climate change, the Bhotekoshi floods and landslides, and the challenges Nepal is facing.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had already been scheduled to lead Nepal’s delegation to the General Assembly. However, following the devastating Bhotekoshi flood on Bhadra 10, pressure has mounted for Prime Minister Shah to travel to New York.
Leaders raised the issue during parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
Lawmakers urge PM to raise climate justice issue
Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Manish Jha said Prime Minister Shah should attend the UN General Assembly to inform the international community about the serious environmental crisis Nepal is facing.
He said Nepal should draw global attention to the losses caused by climate change and demand justice under international conventions and legal provisions.
“The prime minister himself should go to the UN and raise Nepal’s voice globally,” Jha said. “We are ready to support that effort. Nepal must strongly present the voice of this serious environmental crisis on the world stage.”
Similarly, Nepali Communist Party (NCP) lawmaker Barshaman Pun urged Prime Minister Shah to travel to the United Nations and make Nepal’s case for climate justice.
Speaking during the special session of the House of Representatives on Thursday, former Finance Minister Pun said disasters in the Himalayan region were increasing due to global carbon emissions, climate change and rising global temperatures.
“The world is listening to this issue today,” Pun said.
The issue had also been raised during a meeting of ministers and experts convened by Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle at the ministry on Monday.
Experts at the meeting suggested that Prime Minister Shah should personally represent Nepal at the United Nations, raise concerns over the impacts of climate change and demand climate justice from the international community.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Wagle, Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, Minister for Health and Food Safety Nisha Mehta, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadkaraj Paudel, and experts from various fields.
The UN General Assembly’s formal programme begins on September 8, while the high-level general debate is scheduled for September 22–28, 2026.
Environmental experts have warned that Nepal could suffer a significant loss if the prime minister does not attend the important UN General Assembly proceedings and use the international platform to highlight the country’s climate-related challenges.
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