KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) Balendra Shah (Balen) is set to travel to New York to attend the high-level session of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly will begin at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 8, while the high-level segment is scheduled to begin on September 22.
According to a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government has decided to send Prime Minister Shah to the United States to participate in the high-level meeting.
The decision comes after the Cabinet had earlier decided to send a delegation led by Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal to the General Assembly. However, following the devastating Bhotekoshi River flood in Rasuwa on August 26, which caused significant loss of life and property, Prime Minister Shah is now preparing to attend the gathering himself and raise Nepal’s concerns over climate change and climate justice before the international community.
At the high-level meeting, Shah is expected to highlight the disasters Nepal has been facing due to climate change, the resulting human and economic losses, and the urgent need for greater international action and climate justice.
The next meeting of the Council of Ministers is expected to take a formal decision on Shah’s visit to New York. The government is also preparing to keep the delegation accompanying the prime minister small.
The visit will mark Shah’s first foreign trip since he became prime minister in Chaitra last year.
Shah has already received invitations for official visits to neighbouring countries India and China. However, he is set to visit the United States before travelling to either of the two neighbouring countries.
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