The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nepal’s Permanent Mission to New York have started groundwork for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visit to New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister Oli is preparing to leave for the United States on September 21.

The UNGA opens on September 9 but the high-level general debate will begin on September 23, according to the United Nations website.

On September 22, a high-level meeting is organised to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, where UN officials and heads of state and government will reflect on the achievements of the past eight decades and the path ahead for a more inclusive and responsive multilateral system, the UN says about the event on its website.

Oli will participate in the event, according to Nepal’s Permanent Mission to New York.

He will also attend the opening session of the 80th general debate on September 23. The prime minister will then attend the climate summit scheduled to take place on September 24.

With the pace and scale of the climate crisis growing across the globe, the UN secretary general is convening a climate summit to serve as a platform for world leaders to present their new national climate action plans and seize the benefits of the new clean energy era, said the UN website.

Ahead of COP30 in Brazil, the summit will focus on demonstrating commitment and accelerating action to protect people and the planet in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

On the same day, Oli will take part in the first biennial summit for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient global economy; and on implementing commitments on financing development, said the office of Nepal's permanent mission to New York.

The summit is envisaged as a platform to unite multilateral efforts and the international financial system around shared goals for sustainable development, said the UN’s website.

It aims to look at the stock of commitments relating to financing the SDGs, foster an inclusive dialogue between leaders of multilateral institutions and heads of state and government, and explore ways to strengthen collaboration between multilateral institutions for the implementation of the 2030 agenda.

On September 25, Oli will also participate in a high-level meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and promotion of mental health and well-being.

“Heads of states and government will meet to set a new vision for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases—including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases—and the promotion of mental health and well-being towards 2030 and beyond, through a new, ambitious and achievable political declaration,” said the United Nations.

The same day, the prime minister will participate in a high-level meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the world youth programme. The UN General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth—the first action plan on policies and programmes for youth—in 1995. Governments, civil society and youth partners will come together to review progress on the Programme of Action and promote greater youth participation in policymaking.

Under the theme “WPAY at 30: Accelerating Global Progress through Intergenerational Collaboration,” the meeting will focus on strengthening intergenerational partnerships and renewing commitments to advance the global youth agenda, according to the United Nations. On September 26, Oli will address the UN general assembly.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requests have also been made to meet with some heads of state and government. Officials at the ministry told the Post that Foreign Minister Arzu Rana is unlikely to accompany the prime minister in New York.

This year, the usual Saarc Council of Ministers Meeting at the foreign minister level that takes place on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly is unlikely to happen. A recent brief war between India and Pakistan has further pushed back the future of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Nepal, the current chair of the regional grouping, has been asking other member states to attend the Saarc council of ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA since 2020, but due to longstanding rivalry between India and Pakistan, it has not happened, said the foreign ministry official.

This year, the situation appears even more grim due to the recent India-Pakistan war following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, where 26 people including one Nepali national was killed, the official added.

Another senior foreign ministry official confirmed to the Post that the Saarc Council of Ministers involving seven member states, except Afghanistan, is scheduled to meet on September 25 or 26. A circular has been sent via the Saarc Secretariat to the seven member states.

“The confirmation will be finalised only after mid-September but as our minister is not attending, the meeting seems highly unlikely this time, too”, the official said. Nepal has been chairing the SAARC since 2014, becoming the longest-serving head in the regional grouping’s history.

The meeting needs the consent of the seven member states to convene, and Nepal is still hopeful, a joint-secretary at the foreign ministry said. “As we only recently sought their concurrence, it will take some time for approvals to arrive from all member states.”

Saarc is holding the meetings of the programming committee and others, but to ensure a higher level of engagement, it needs to hold the meetings of the Council of Ministers, said the joint-secretary.

The New York meeting, considered a “tone-setter” to higher-level Saarc meetings, including the summit, has not happened since 2019.

In 2019, the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan boycotted each other’s addresses at a meeting of the Saarc Council of Ministers organised on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly. In 2020, the meeting was held virtually, and the member states pledged to enhance regional integration, but it could not end the logjam in the Saarc process.

In 2021, the meeting was called off at the last minute, after member states did not agree to attend. Then-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had hurriedly appointed Narayan Khadka as foreign minister, in preparation for the New York meeting.

Likewise, in 2022, the meeting did not happen as Khadka did not travel to New York, citing general elections at home. In 2023 and last year, too, the sidelines meeting had to be called off after representatives of the member states did not show up.

Last year, the meeting did not take place as India was reluctant to join. This year, India has even more serious issues with Pakistan than in previous years and is thus unlikely to attend, another official said. In view of these regional developments, Foreign Minister Deuba is unlikely to travel to New York this time.

As per the Saarc tradition, any meeting or summit cannot proceed if one member state objects. The South Asian grouping has been paralysed due to the longstanding rivalry between India and Pakistan. In 2016, the 19th summit was scheduled to take place in Pakistan but was cancelled due to cross-border terrorism and an attack on the Indian army base.