Nepal will use the 81st United Nations General Assembly to press for climate finance, compensation for climate-related loss and damage and stronger international action to protect the Himalayas, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai told lawmakers on Thursday.

The push comes weeks after devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-China border killed thousands and left thousands missing, with Nepal seeking greater international backing for countries facing mounting losses from climate change.

Rai told the House of Representatives’ International Relations and Tourism Committee that Nepal would highlight the loss of lives and property caused by the climate crisis and seek support for countries bearing its effects.

Nepal will call for immediate and adequate financing for climate-related loss and damage through mechanisms including the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. It will also seek support from developed countries to reduce climate risks and strengthen adaptation through climate-resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, technology transfer and capacity building.

Nepal plans to base its case for climate justice on scientific evidence and the risks it faces from a warming climate, Rai said.

It will also highlight its contribution to environmental protection, including more than 40 percent forest cover, its vast Himalayan region and extensive river systems. Rai said Nepal would seek greater international recognition and support for that contribution.

Nepal will host a high-level side event during the General Assembly titled ‘Sagarmatha to the Sea: A Call to Action for a Climate-Resilient Future’. The event will examine the effects of global warming on the Himalayas, changes to mountain ecosystems and the risks they pose.

Its main aim is to draw greater international attention to the climate crisis facing the Himalayan region, Rai said.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal will take part in ministerial meetings of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China. He will also attend high-level discussions and UN-organised side events.

Khanal is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from neighbouring and other countries, as well as with senior UN officials.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to address the General Debate during the high-level week and meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Rai told the committee.

Shah will lead a delegation that includes Khanal and his chief adviser, Kumar Byanjankar, among others.

The Nepali delegation is scheduled to leave for New York on September 22 and return on September 26.

The 81st session of the General Assembly opened on September 8, with the high-level General Debate scheduled from September 22 to 26.