President Ramchandra Paudel’s recent visit to Switzerland and Germany emphasised the need for the international community to focus on the priorities of underdeveloped mountainous countries like Nepal regarding climate change, the Office of the President said.

Kiran Pokharel, press advisor to the President, said that a number of events during Paudel’s visit drew international attention to the impacts of climate change in countries like Nepal—particularly the President’s address at the inaugural forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, his meetings with German scientists, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s concern about climate change during their bilateral discussion.

During his visit to various climate research centres in Germany, Paudel had praised the Germans’ research on the issue and suggested that they focus on measures to minimise the effects of climate change, Pokharel added.

The President, who had embarked on a weeklong visit to Switzerland and Germany on June 11, returned home on June 19. During his stay, President Paudel held meetings with his Swiss and German counterparts on June 13 and 17, respectively, and discussed issues of bilateral interest.

Paudel had also requested the researchers to make the international community aware of what needed to be done to minimise emissions from carbon-emitting countries.

“Your research relating to climate change so far has been praiseworthy,” Pokharel quoted the President as saying. “But I believe your research should now focus on how to protect ourselves from the varied effects of climate change. Similarly, you must also suggest to the international community what needs to be done by the carbon-emitting nations to minimise emissions and also by smaller nations affected by it.”

German President Steinmeier had expressed his gratitude for Paudel’s suggestions to the scientists during their bilateral meeting and had extended the European nation’s sympathy for a mountainous country like Nepal.

Steinmeier also added that Germany was ready to provide Nepal with whatever aid it required.

President Paudel had expressed his hopes for Germany’s investment in agriculture, water resource management, and tourism development of Nepal.

He also requested Germany to facilitate the release and repatriation of six Nepalis who have been kept in Ukrainian military custody. Germany, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has been providing military assistance to Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In his speech at the inaugural forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, President Paudel stressed the need to shift the international community’s focus to climate change.

“While discussing social justice, we should not forget climate justice, which should be established as a global issue,” Paudel said. “The international community, especially large carbon emitters, should not deviate from their responsibility.”

Climate justice must be immediately ensured to the carbon-negative countries that are vulnerable to the varied effects of climate change by providing adequate funding and necessary technological assistance, Paudel added.

Paudel said that Nepal has had to face the brunt of climate change even if it has only a negligible contribution to the warming climate. Mountains, including Mount Everest, have been turning into blocks of rocks due to rising temperatures and the depletion of glaciers at an unprecedented rate, Paudel said.

“Climate change has seriously affected clean water, crops, biodiversity and health, pushing millions of our people into extreme poverty and inequality,” he said. “The displacement of families, communities and loss of livelihood due to climate change disasters has made the problem even more complex.”