Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Indira Rana Magar, who had reached Khumbu, the high Himalayan area of Solukhumbu, for trekking among others, was also present in the program.
Vice-Chairman Tashilhamu Sherpa on behalf of the rural municipality and Prajita Karki, Chairperson of the Sathsathai Foundation, signed the agreement. Speaking at the program held in Khumjung on Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Magar said that she saw many women facing problems due to the climate change while trekking in the Khumbu region. She was of the opinion that the government should organize a climate adaptation program in the Himalayan region. Saying that it was the positive step of the rural municipality to start a strategic work for climate justice, the Deputy Speaker expressed her commitment to extend all necessary facilitation to ensure the implementation of the program. Saying that the climate change has caused various problems in this region and it has directly affected the local people, House of Representatives lawmaker Manbir Rai of the Solukhukbu said that all should be united for local justice. “The problems of the people of Khumbu are the problems of the country. That is way, all the concerned agencies should join hands together to resolve the problem and to provide justice to the victims,” Rai said. Saying that various works are being carried out from the rural municipality level to resolve the problems seen in the people, rural municipality Chairman Mingmar Chiri Sherpa said that the partnership with the Sathsathai will be helpful more in the future. Saying that the local government has done significant work to protect the environment, Sherpa said that as Mount Everest is the property of the world, all should pay attention to protect this area. Chairperson of Sathsathai, is a women-focused non-profitable organization, Prajita Karki expressed her commitment to draw the attention of federal government and international platforms by studying the problems of the Khumbu area seriously. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Sathsathai organized a six-day trek from Lukka to Khumjung to understand the effects of climate change and to ask the problems of affected people. Sixteen people including Deputy Speaker Rana Magar, former Foreign Minister and National Assembly member Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal, Joint Secretary at the Agricultural Ministry Dr Sabnam Shivakoti, experts Dr Madhav Karki, Dr Yamuna Ghale, Saru Shrestha and Deepak Das among others took part in the trekking. During the trekking, the team including Deputy Speaker Rana Magar concluded that the climate change has badly affected agriculture, health and tourism in the area and said that a strategic work should be started in the coming days. The Sathsathai has also been carrying out various works in collaboration with Helambu Rural Municipality of Sindhulpalchok for climate justice. Earlier, a documentary on the adverse impact of climate change in Nepal was screened at the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) in Egypt. The documentary film on damage caused by climate change was made by Sathsathai Foundation.
