Prime Minister Balendra Shah will use his address to the United Nations General Assembly to highlight how climate change has devastated livelihoods in low-carbon-emitting countries like Nepal and argue that such nations deserve climate justice and compensation from the international community. 

Shah, who reached New York on Wednesday evening [Nepali time], is scheduled to speak on September 24, during the afternoon session, which runs from 3 pm to 9 pm New York time and falls in the early hours of Friday in Nepal.

The prime minister is unlikely to speak longer than his allotted 15 minutes.  During that time he will draw international attention to the recurring loss of lives, livelihoods and infrastructure caused by climate change, and seek greater international support for recovery, reconstruction, and climate resilience, according to a government official familiar with the preparations.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman have both already raised the issue of Nepal's floods in their own statements at the session, an early sign of the international attention the disaster has drawn at this year's gathering.

Shah's visit is his first foreign trip since he became prime minister on March 27. It comes as Nepal seeks to turn the devastation caused by the August 26 Bhotekoshi floods into a broader international campaign for climate finance, loss-and-damage support and greater cooperation on Himalayan disasters. 

The floods have killed at least 1,436 people, with 5,644 still missing, and caused widespread damage to hydropower projects, bridges, school buildings, health facilities and thousands of private homes. 

The statement Shah delivers is expected to focus on the impact of climate change on livelihoods in low-carbon-emitting nations and why such countries are entitled to justice and compensation from the international community, according to officials familiar with the prime minister's engagements in New York. The August 26 disaster has added urgency to that message. 

Shah has already described the disaster as a climate-change-related crisis and has argued that the international response to such events should be treated as a global responsibility, saying the growing risks facing the Himalayan region demand greater international awareness and cooperation.

"The issue is not simply about relief after a disaster," a senior Nepali official involved in the preparations said. "The emphasis is expected to be on long-term resilience, climate finance, technology and the responsibility of the international community."

Beyond the immediate disaster response, Shah's address is likely to touch on a wider set of priorities: climate justice, climate finance and compensation; technology transfer for early-warning systems and other scientific studies; the particular challenges facing mountain countries; and Nepal's role in global peacekeeping operations. 

He is also expected to speak about Nepal's Gen Z protest, the country's changing political context, and the priorities of the new government, using the platform to introduce his administration to the international community.

Manjit Dhakal, an adviser to the LDC Group and head of its support team at Climate Analytics South Asia, told the Post from New York that the Bhotekoshi floods and the wider climate crisis have drawn considerable interest among participants at this year's session.

In New York, Shah is due to hold high-level meetings with UN officials, including a separate meeting with Guterres on September 24, as well as with other leaders and representatives attending the General Assembly.

The Nepali delegation includes Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Kumar Byanjankar, and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, along with other senior government officials. 

Khanal travelled to New York separately on September 20 to take part in ministerial-level meetings and side events. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts and other dignitaries. He is due to participate in meetings of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Group of 77 and China, according to the foreign ministry.

Alongside the prime minister's address, Khanal, Rai and other Nepali officials are expected to use meetings and events in New York to press developed countries to provide climate finance on concessional and easily accessible terms, and to support technology transfer. 

The government says such resources are needed for climate-resilient infrastructure, climate-friendly agriculture, disaster preparedness and institutional capacity building. Nepali diplomats are also expected to highlight the country's contribution to environmental protection, including its forest cover, Himalayan ecosystem and river systems, while arguing that Nepal should not be left to bear the economic burden of climate-induced disasters alone.

On September 25, the Nepal government is organising a side event titled ‘Sagarmatha to Sea: A Call to Action for a Climate Resilient Future’ on the margins of the General Assembly. UN chief Guterres is separately convening an event on climate action and just transition. Both are part of a broader UN high-level week that also touches on artificial intelligence, health, peace and security, and sustainable development.

“The General Assembly gives Nepal an important platform to present the priorities of the government formed following last year's Gen Z movement and subsequent election,” Rai told the Post. 

The 81st session, themed ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All,’ opened on September 8, with the high-level General Debate running from September 22 to 28. Nearly 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend the high-level week in person, according to the UN.