Nepal to Prioritize Himalayan Agenda, Climate Finance and Climate Justice at COP31: Minister Khanal

NTV WorldOctober 29, 2026

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has said that Nepal will prioritize the Himalayan agenda, climate finance and climate justice at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Addressing the National Climate Summit 2026, organized in preparation for COP31, which is scheduled to take place in Türkiye, Foreign Minister Khanal said, “At the upcoming COP31, Nepal will prioritize the mountain agenda, climate-induced loss and damage, climate finance and climate justice.”

Foreign Minister Khanal noted that climate change has made the Himalayan region’s ecosystems increasingly vulnerable.

“Protecting the Himalayas must be regarded as a shared global responsibility. The ecological stability of the Himalayan region is intrinsically linked to the water, food, energy and economic security of millions of people living far beyond our borders. Therefore, protecting our mountains is a shared global responsibility,” he said.

Speaking at the summit organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Foreign Minister Khanal said Nepal would work to make international climate cooperation more results-oriented at COP31.

Minister Khanal emphasized that the unique challenges and risks faced by the Himalayan region must be given priority in international climate negotiations. He clarified that the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is particularly important for mountainous countries.

“Even a temporary rise in temperatures beyond the prescribed threshold can accelerate glacier melting, destabilize fragile ecosystems and trigger irreversible environmental changes,” he said.

Recalling Nepal’s efforts to bring Himalayan issues to the international stage through the International Expert Dialogue on the Himalayas, People and Climate Change in 2024 and the Sagarmatha Sambaad in 2025, Foreign Minister Khanal said the campaign would continue through the next Sagarmatha Sambaad, scheduled for 2027.

Foreign Minister Khanal said Nepal would advocate at COP31 for regular high-level dialogues on Himalayan issues, a dedicated mountain action plan, and the systematic inclusion of risks facing mountainous regions in global climate policies.