Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Prime Minister of Nepal, chaired a High-Level Roundtable on Call of the Mountains: Who Saves Us from the Climate Crisis? Hosted by Nepal on the margins of the COP 28 this morning.

In the opening remark, Prime Minister mentioned the adverse impacts of climate change on mountainous countries and stressed the need for urgent actions to stop the crime against nature and humanity.

Conveying the message of 30 million Nepali to the Conference, prime minister Prachanda said, “Our message is clear: mountains are tortured by rising temperature. Save them first!” Prime Minister Prachanda emphasized that mountains matter for identity and dignity, ecological and environmental integrity, and humanity. PM reiterated the UN Secretary General’s remark that the crisis has brought Nepal and Antarctica closure though they are far apart.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the session as a chief guest. The UN Secretary-General warned that time is running out as the adverse impacts of climate change have been visible everywhere. The Prime Minister of Andorra, the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic, the State Secretary from Bhutan, and the representatives from international organizations also spoke on the occasion.

Dr. Birendra Prasad Mahato Minister for Forest and Environment and Hon. Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of the government of Nepal also attended the Roundtable. A large number of climate experts, government officials, professionals and climate activists were also present in the event.

Later in the day, Prime Minister delivered a National Statement. In the statement, he strongly stressed that least developed mountainous countries like Nepal are disproportionately bearing the brunt of adverse impact of climate change despite near zero contribution. Rt. Hon. underscored on the need to ensure climate finance and climate justice and also outlined the measures taken by the government of Nepal to address the issue.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister visited the Future Museum at Dubai with keen interest. It is designed in such a way as to take the audience to a journey of possible futures and bring hope and knowledge back to the present.

In the evening, Prime Minister attended the 52ndNational Day Celebration of the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on December 3, 2024.