Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday left for the United Arab Emirates leading a high level delegation to attend the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28).

Dahal will attend the high-level segment of the COP 28-World Climate Action Summit being held on Friday and Saturday.

Likewise, the prime minister will be hosting a high-level side event “Call of the mountain: Who saves us from the climate crisis?” to raise Nepal’s voice on climate change as well as promote mountain agenda in the COP negotiation process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

“In the margins of the High-Level Segment, the prime minister will have bilateral meetings with heads of state, heads of government and other high dignitaries attending the Conference,” the press release further reads.

Dahal will also visit the Embassy of Nepal in Abu Dhabi, where he is scheduled to address the Nepal-UAE Business Summit.

Dahal’s daughter Ganga, Minister for Forest and Environment Dr Birendra Prasad Mahato and other senior government officials will be accompanying him on the trip. He is scheduled to return home on Sunday.

Meanwhile, President Ramchandra Paudel has entrusted Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka with the responsibility of looking after the prime minister’s responsibilities in the latter's absence. Defence Minister Khadka is second in rank in the Cabinet.

The head of state assigned the responsibility to Khadka at Prime Minister Dahal’s recommendation, reads a statement issued by the Office of the President.