'Sagarmatha to the Sea' appeals for collective action against climate risks

Kathmandu, Sept. 26

Nepal has organised a special event titled ‘Sagarmatha to the Sea’ in New York, United States, to highlight the issue of climate change on the global stage.

Led by Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, Nepal hosted the high-level climate-focused special event, ‘Sagarmatha to the Sea: A Call to Action for a Climate-Resilient Future’, at the United Nations Headquarters. Nepal had decided to organise the high-level event following the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi River. A short video of the Bhotekoshi floods was also screened at the event.

The event was co-hosted by Bhutan, Maldives, New Zealand, Samoa and Tajikistan, as well the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Addressing the programme, Foreign Minister Khanal stressed the need to address shared climate risks from the mountains to the sea in an integrated manner, noting that the climate system does not recognise political boundaries. "Sagarmatha to the Sea begins with a simple proposition: the climate system does not recognize the boundaries through which we organize our politics," he said.

He said that mountains, rivers, oceans, coastal areas and island regions constitute interconnected ecosystems in terms of climate change, requiring collective and coordinated efforts to address the climate crisis.

The Himalayan region called the - third pole contains the largest volume of snow and ice outside of the polar regions, featuring an inventory of over 63,700 glaciers. Standing at the foot of Himalayas, in 2023, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described these glaciers as 'icy reservoirs'.

"From there, water descends through glaciers and rivers, nourishing ecosystems and communities before reaching the sea. But, Nepal has lost close to one-third of its ice in the last three decades," said FM Khanal, while adding that their decline alters river flows and threatens livelihoods downstream, while island and coastal nations confront rising seas, erosion and displacement.

He said that science, policy and investment must recognize the ecological continuum connecting mountains, freshwater systems and oceans. Mountains deserve greater prominence in climate processes, including systematic integration across relevant UNFCCC frameworks.

"Keeping 1.5°C within reach is imperative. Every fraction of a degree matters, requiring accelerated emission reductions and implementation of the transition away from fossil fuels agreed under the UNFCCC process," he added.

The foreign minister also stressed on preparedness with stronger early-warning systems, resilient infrastructure, anticipatory action and scientific cooperation.

Likewise, he said that developing countries need adequate, predictable and accessible climate finance, technology and capacity-building. The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage must be sufficiently capitalized and accessible.

He informed that Nepal is doing its part with forests covering around 46 per cent of the territory, expanding clean hydropower and electric mobility, and community-led conservation.

Four-year of accelerated action

Foreign Minister Khanal said the remaining period until 2030 should be used as a period of accelerated action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Addressing a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI) organised at the sidelines of the UNGA, he said urgent action was needed to translate development commitments into results amid growing financing needs, conflicts, the climate emergency and mounting debt pressures in developing countries.

Congratulating China on behalf of Nepal on the fifth anniversary of the GDI, he praised China's continued efforts to translate the initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, into practical cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed in a statement.

"In five years, the GDI has expanded across the developing world as a platform for partnerships, resource mobilisation, knowledge sharing and practical cooperation," Minister Khanal said.

According to him, the GDI's priorities in poverty reduction, food security, development finance, green development, industrialisation and the digital economy addressed many of the priorities of the Global South.

Noting that the world had entered the final phase towards the 2030 targets, Minister Khanal said only 36 per cent of accessible SDG targets were progressing either on track or at a moderate pace. He said developing countries faced an annual SDG financing gap of around US$4 trillion, while conflicts, the climate crisis and debt pressures had added to the challenges.

  

Multilateral action called for pandemic preparedness

Addressing a high-level meeting on ‘Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response’, Foreign Minister Khanal said that multilateralism, equity and solidarity must remain at the centre of global efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated that a public health emergency arising in one location could develop into a global crisis. "No nation is safe until every nation is safe," he said.

"The pandemic was not merely a health crisis, it also devastated development gains achieved over decades," he said.

 

Reform needed in int'l financial architecture

Likewise, speaking at the 50th annual meeting of the Group of 77 and China, FM Khanal called for timely reforms to the international financial architecture to increase the voice and representation of developing countries in global economic governance.

He stressed the need to renew unity and collective efforts to strengthen multilateralism and said the voice of the Global South should be raised more effectively.

According to him, the UN-centred, rules-based multilateral system should be further strengthened, while implementation of the SDGs should be accelerated through adequate and accessible financial resources, technology transfer and capacity-building.

"There is a need to reduce existing inequalities through economic and digital transformation," he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 27 September 2026.