Deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Kamal Thapa  signed  the Paris Agreement at United Nations.

Signing ceremony is not only a moment of historic significance, but a signpost towards a future of regulatory reform, new investment opportunities and a changing world order.

Addressing the ceremony, deputy prime minister Thapa said that the treaty is very important for the country like Nepal.

“I align my statement with those of the G-77, LDCs and LLDCs, and wish to present my country’s perspective in brief. As a mountainous country in which the lives and livelihoods of millions of people are directly affected by climate change, Nepal views the Paris Agreement as a beacon of hope for safe and shared destiny of humanity,” said Thapa.“The Agreement is a culmination of our search for a binding instrument on climate change. Nepal played an active role in the process, including as LDCs lead negotiator in the past. The Agreement is also a living instrument meant for serious implementation, in tandem with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Permanent Representative of Nepal to United Nations Durga Prasad Bhattarai and Under Secretary of Ministry of Population and Environment Naresh Sharma were also present on the occasion.

Statement of DPM Thapa

Its sincere implementation helps us adapt and mitigate the recurring problems: landslides, floods, melting of glaciers, erratic and extreme weather patterns, and loss of biodiversity, among others. Nepal reiterates its commitment to contributing to the global collaboration, and intends to submit the instrument of ratification at the earliest.

At home, Nepal is combating climate change with several policy measures and strategies, institutional support, adaptation programs and mitigation actions.

-         The climate change policy (2011) aims to protect the country from the adverse impacts of climate change.

-         Mainstreaming climate change has been an important part of the new plans, policies and strategies of the Government.

-         National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) and Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA),with inbuilt gender and community perspectives, offer urgent and immediate adaptation options to address the impacts of climate change.

-         A National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is being formulated to address medium and long-term adaptation needs.

-         Climate Change Budget Code has been introduced.

-         Nepal is now in the process of finalizing a new national development plan, seeking to integrate SDGs and considering the comprehensive climate plan of the country, for implementation beginning mid-July this year.

More specifically, Nepal aims to

-         Formulate the Low Carbon Economic Development Strategy and national REDD plus strategy;

-         Maintain 40% land under forest covers;

-         Achieve 80% electrification through renewable energy sources by 2050; and

-         Strive to decrease the rate of air pollution by 2025.

Effective implementation of the Paris Agreement requires an enhanced collaboration and partnership with private sector, civil society and other actors. The Government of Nepal has created an enabling environment to promote private sector and foreign direct investments in low carbon economic development.

While the impending Climate Change vulnerability of Nepal as LDC, LLDC and a mountainous country is very high and our pathway for sustainable development is both difficult and costly, our abundant renewable resources offer prospects for the development of a climate-friendly regional cooperative partnership. We expect necessary financial and technology support in this regard. An easy, transparent and direct access to climate finance and technology should be ensured for the countries like Nepal. We have high hopes on our collective strength of global efforts, understanding, cooperation, partnership and support to combat the challenges and fulfill our ambition.