Gyawali has hectic schedule at UNGA

Kathmandu, Sept. 21

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, who left for New Yorkon Saturday, will be on a hectic schedule during the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

At the session, Nepal will inform the world about its development priorities and the support it needed in the high-level meetings, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Climate change, sustainable development, health and investment are the priority agenda, MoFA added.

This year’s Assembly begun on 17 September while the General Debate will begin on 24 September under the theme of ‘Galvanising Multilater Efforts for Poverty Eradication, Quality Education, Climate Action and Inclusion’.

The high-level meetings will be held from 23-27 September.

Foreign Minister Gyawali will chair the information session of the SAARC Council of Ministers on 26 September.

At the margins of the UNGA, he will participate in the Climate Action Summit, UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the UN High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

While in New York, the Foreign Minister will address separate ministerial meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, G77 and China; Least Developed Countries (LDCs); and Land-locked Developing Countries (LLDCs). He will represent Nepal at the Ministerial Meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue as well.

The Foreign Minister will also address the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends of Mediation, the High-level Dialogue on Peace Operations, and participate in the high-level commemorative event convened by the president of the General Assembly to mark the 30^th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, Foreign Minister Gyawali will engage in bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries. He will also hold meetings with the high-ranking officials of the United Nations.

The Foreign Minister is also scheduled to interact with the Nepalidiaspora in New York on the 26 of September and attend an interactive meeting on brain gain with the Nepali diaspora community on the 29 September in Chicago. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Upendra Yadav will participate in the high-level meeting on Global Health Concern where he will present the achievements Nepal made in the sector, said MoFA Spokesperson Bharat Raj Poudyal. He will be accompanied by FM Gyawali and Secretary of Ministry of Health Dr. Pushpa Chaudhari.

Similarly, Minister for Forests and Environment Shakti Bahadur Basnet will participate in a meeting on climate change which will be held on 23 September where Nepal will present the progress it made in food security, bio-diversity conservation and climate change mitigation measures, including the Climate Change Strategy.

 Likewise, Nepal is also scheduled to present the current country assessment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). President of the Sustainable Development Committee at the National Assembly Tara Devi Bhatta and Member Dina Nath Sharma, and Member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli will be participating in the meeting along with the FM.

FM Gyawali is leading a Nepali delegation comprising of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of Nepal to the United States of America Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Amrit Bahadur Rai and other officials from the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 September 2019.