Nepal hopeful for loss and damage support

FM leaving for New York toady

 

Kathmandu, Sept. 19

A Nepali team led by Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal is leaving for New York, the United States, on Sunday to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed in a statement on Saturday that FM Khanal will participate in various high-level meetings, side events and ministerial-level programmes held as part of the high-level segment of the General Assembly. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and other dignitaries.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to leave for the United States on September 22 to lead the Nepali delegation. Prime Minister Shah will address the high-level segment of the General Assembly on September 24.

The Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Shah will include Foreign Minister Khanal, Prime Minister’s Chief Adviser Kumar Byanjankar, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and other senior officials of the government.

The Nepali delegation attending the United Nations this year comprises 14 members. This is also one of the smaller delegations to attend the General Assembly under the leadership of a prime minister in recent years.

During his stay in New York, Prime Minister Shah is also scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

He is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on September 26, while Foreign Minister Khanal is expected to return to Nepal on September 29.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Rising Nepal (on page 3), Foreign Minister Khanal said that Nepal has seen a positive environment for receiving compensation for the loss and damage caused by the disaster due to the climate change. “Although Nepal had made claims previously, with the recent claim we have made in connection with the current disaster situation, we are seeing a positive environment emerging based on the information we are receiving,” he said.

According to him, in the long term, Nepal needs to work out how to build a more resilient ecosystem so that, when disasters occur in the future, it does not have to suffer the kind of human and physical losses it is facing.

“This is also the message we are giving to the international community. This is not a one-off disaster. Because of climate change, Nepal could face such events regularly in the future,” said FM Khanal.

He stressed the need for the international community's technology, knowledge, know-how and resources not only for immediate reconstruction and rebuilding, but also in the long term for preparedness and mitigation strategies. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 20 September 2026.