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Foreign Minister NP Saud met with former US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Minister Saud is currently in New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, matters related to mutual interest and cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

Nepali Ambassador to the US Sridhar Khatri was also present in the meeting.

Nepal has ratified the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty proposed by the United Nations.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, who is in New York to attend the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, signed the agreement on behalf of Nepal.

The BBNJ Treaty sets up a procedure to establish large-scale marine protected areas in the high seas. This facilitates the achievement of the target to effectively conserve and manage 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, which was agreed in December 2022 within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The agreement is intended to ensure conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Treaty is reportedly key to protect the ocean, promote equity and fairness, tackle environmental degradation, fight climate change, and prevent biodiversity loss in the high seas.

The deadline for signing this Treaty is September 20, 2025, starting from September 20, 2023.

The Treaty is legally binding and will come into force after 60 state parties ratify it.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has said that Nepal has given top priority to the Asian Cooperation Dialogue.

Nepal accords top priority to regional initiatives including the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). He was speaking at the conference of ministers of Asian countries held at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday.

Minister Saud also added that Nepal is ready to work with all members of the ACD in accordance with its objectives and agree to successfully implement the key issues it has adopted.

Nepal became a member of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue in March 2016.

The ACD was established in June 2002 in Cha-Am, Thailand, where 18 Asian Foreign Ministers met together for the first time.

The ACD is a continent-wide forum, the first of its kind in Asia, which aims to constitute the missing link in Asia by incorporating every Asian country and building an Asian Community without duplicating other organizations or creating a bloc against others.

A key principle is to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia's competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources evident in Asia.

The core values of the ACD are positive thinking; informality; voluntarism; non-institutionalization; openness; respect for diversity; the comfort level of member countries; and the evolving nature of the ACD process, it is stated in the official website of the regional body.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is in New York to represent Nepal in the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a meeting at the United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas held important discussions on bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation.

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, Foreign Secretary Bharatraj Paudel, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sewa Lamsal were present in the meeting.