PM Leaves for Spain to participate in UN conference

 Kathmandu, June 28

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli left for Spain on Saturday evening to participate in the United Nations' Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled to be held in the historic city of Seville.

The high-level summit, convened once every decade, brings together heads of state and government from across the UN member states to chart the future of global development finance.

Delivering a formal statement in the House of Representatives before departure, Prime Minister Oli outlined the official itinerary of his visit. The Nepali delegation, comprising 21 members, began their journey on June 28 via Qatar Airways, transiting through Doha before reaching Madrid on Sunday morning.

The delegation includes Nepal’s Ambassador to Spain Shanil Nepal and Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Lok Bahadur Thapa, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Finance (MoF), and Prime Minister’s Office.

PM Oli’s Chief Political Advisor Bishnu Rimal, key secretariat staff and representatives from relevant sectors will also accompany him.

Upon reaching Madrid, the delegation will travel to Seville in the afternoon on Sunday. Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the closing session of a plenary organised by civil society, which will be attended by distinguished figures, including the President of Spain’s Council of Ministers.

Later in the evening, a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Oli and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled, followed by a state banquet hosted by the King of Spain in honour of participating heads of state and government.

Likewise, on Monday, PM Oli will participate in the official opening session of the conference in the morning, and address at the launch of the Independent Commission on the Future of Development Cooperation, organised by the Gates Foundation.

He will hold a bilateral meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis in the afternoon. After that, he will address the main conference as the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group.

On the same day in the evening, he will hold bilateral meetings with his Egyptian counterpart Dr. Mostafa Kamal Madbouly, Portuguese PM Luís Montenegro and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

On the fourth day of his visit, on Tuesday, he will chair a high-level LDC meeting and deliver opening remarks. address a high-level side event on ‘Investing in global solidarity: A new vision for development cooperation’ to be hosted by the Spanish Prime Minister, and participate in a theme-based roundtable discussion on ‘Revitalising international development cooperation’.

Likewise, PM Oli is also scheduled to deliver his address at a joint side event on ‘Empowering resilience and climate-smart financing for sustainable LDC graduation’ organised by the governments of Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, and the UN Resident Coordinators Office, and another event on ‘Mobilising financial resources for water and sanitation through leadership initiatives of heads of state and government’ to be co-organised by Nepal and Burundi.

The delegation will reach Madrid on Wednesday, July 2, where PM Oli will attend and address the Nepal–Spain Business and Investment Promotion Evening, where he will call on Spanish investors to explore opportunities in Nepal, as per his address at the Parliament.

Similarly, the PM is scheduled to meet officials from Real Madrid Football Club and tour the iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and meet members of the Nepali diaspora in Spain.

The delegation is expected to arrive back in Kathmandu on July 4, the MoFA informed. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 29 June 2025.