GNN, NEW YORK: Prime Minister Balendra Shah arrived in New York on Wednesday to lead Nepal’s delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81). He was received at John F. Kennedy International Airport by Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, along with other Nepali diplomatic officials. The visit marks Shah’s first foreign trip since assuming the office of Prime Minister.

During his stay in New York, Prime Minister Shah is scheduled to hold a courtesy meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and attend a reception hosted by Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. His participation at the General Assembly comes as Nepal seeks to strengthen its engagement in multilateral diplomacy and draw international attention to issues of particular concern to the country.

Prime Minister Shah is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Nepal is expected to highlight the mounting impacts of climate change, including the devastating consequences of recent climate-related disasters such as the Bhotekoshi floods. Kathmandu is also expected to reiterate its call for climate justice, noting Nepal’s relatively low contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions despite its exposure to increasingly severe climate-related risks.

The climate crisis is expected to feature prominently in Nepal’s diplomatic engagements during the General Assembly. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also recalled the warnings he issued during his visit to Nepal about the rapidly intensifying effects of climate change in the Himalayas. He has called for stronger international action, greater financial support for climate adaptation and effective mobilisation of resources to address loss and damage faced by vulnerable countries.

Against this backdrop, Nepal is expected to use UNGA81 to press for stronger international cooperation on climate adaptation, climate finance, disaster recovery and reconstruction, and the protection of vulnerable mountain communities. The Bhotekoshi disaster has further underscored Nepal’s vulnerability to climate-induced disasters, giving added urgency to the country’s call for international solidarity and climate justice at the global forum.