PORT LOUIS: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has called for collective stewardship in Indian Ocean governance, emphasizing that the future of the world’s highest peaks and its vast oceans are inextricably linked.
Addressing the 9th Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius on Saturday, Khanal argued that for a landlocked nation like Nepal, the Indian Ocean is not a distant geography but a vital lifeline for trade, energy, and environmental survival.
Speaking on the theme “Collective Stewardship for Indian Ocean Governance,” Khanal highlighted that climate change has made the “mountain-ocean nexus” a matter of urgent global security. “In Nepal, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods,” he said.
“Conversely, the Indian Ocean is warming rapidly, threatening island nations with rising sea levels. Stewardship means moving beyond narrow self-interest to a shared responsibility for our global commons.”
The Foreign Minister also addressed the direct human cost of geopolitical instability, specifically the ongoing conflicts in West Asia. He revealed that the violence has already claimed the life of one Nepali national and left several others injured. With millions of Nepalis living and working in the region, Khanal stated that their safety remains the government’s top priority and warned that regional conflicts are driving up fuel prices and disrupting global supply chains.
Highlighting Nepal’s historical ties to the sea, Khanal reminded the delegation that ancient Nepali traders and scholars once used Himalayan-to-ocean routes to spread ideas and philosophy, most notably the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
He asserted that as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Nepal views maritime access and participation in the “blue economy” not as a privilege, but as a fundamental legal right for landlocked states.
To further address these interlinked challenges, Khanal promoted ‘Sagarmatha Sambaad,’ Nepal’s flagship international dialogue platform, as a bridge for discussing the ecological and geopolitical connections between the Third Pole and the global oceans. He concluded by urging for a rules-based multilateral system grounded in international law to tackle shared threats such as maritime terrorism, piracy, and human trafficking.
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