Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud on Saturday raised climate concerns at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference 2024 held in Perth, Australia.

Speaking at the event, Minister Saud underscored issues relating to climate and the ecosystem.

“The world’s third-largest water reservoir [Indian Ocean] is warming at a faster rate than the other oceans due to increased anthropogenic activities,” Saud said.

“This is leading to sea level rise and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This climate crisis is also disrupting the food supply chain in the [Indian Ocean] region.”

Saud also highlighted the security challenges—maritime terrorism, illicit trafficking of drugs and weapons, human trafficking, and illegal migration—posing serious problems for the region, stressing the need for immediate action to resolve such issues.

He said that such challenges required concerted and collaborative efforts to develop the region as a microcosm of cooperation.

Citing the importance of the Indian Ocean for global trade, the foreign minister explained why the stability and sustainability of the region were of concern for Nepal.

“It [the Indian Ocean] is a lifeline for Nepal in reaching the international market,” he said. “A major share of Nepal’s external trade is through the Indian Ocean. Nepal’s developmental aspiration is dependent upon the Indian Ocean while the health of the Indian Ocean also relies upon the ecosystem and climatic condition of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region.”

The foreign minister also said that the ocean and the Himalayan region had an ‘organic link’, stressing that proposals for any new policies should have the capacity to boost the immune system of both regions.

“Our failure to care for both the ocean and the mountain will have ripple effects on the people and the planet,” Saud told the conference. “We must protect the oceans and mountains from the impacts of climate change.”

Minister Saud also reiterated Nepal’s plans of graduating from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) by 2026, adding that the country had committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, five years earlier as called for in the Paris Agreement to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degree celsius.

Furthermore, Saud stated Nepal’s commitment to engaging constructively in building the resilient Indian Ocean Region.