PM Oli urges concerned authorities to strongly raise issue of climate justice in COP-29

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli instructed the concerned ministries and agencies to eloquently advocate for climate justice in the impending COP-29 climate conference.

PM Oli directed the relevant ministries and agencies to strongly raise the issues relating to climate justice for vulnerable countries like Nepal as articulated by Nepal in the UN's 79th General Assembly (UNGA).

The UN climate conference is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22 this year. The Nepali delegation to the conference is being led by President Ram Chandra Paudel.

Addressing the third meeting of the Environment Conservation and Climate Change Management National Council at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today, Oli urged the Nepali delegation to put forward Nepal's clear stance and perspective on climate change and its impact in the upcoming COP-29.

PM Oli has been championing climate justice and advocating for compensation for Nepal from the countries responsible for significant carbon emissions, highlighting the adverse effects of global warming on the Himalaya region and its habitat.

He is calling for an action-plan from the global community aimed at maintaining environmental balance from high mountains to sea.

Prime Minister Oli directed to give priority to intensive forest expansion by ending the situation where there is no forest in the designated forest areas. He emphasized that even though Nepal has 46 percent of forest area, only 28 percent of special forest area should be expanded in the remaining 12 percent area.

Prime Minister Oli urged the authorities to work to maintain at least 40 percent forest area and mentioned that Nepal is contributing to global environmental cleanliness by keeping forests, mountains and valleys.

In Nepal, 17 percent of the land is mountains and 7 percent is lakes. Prime Minister Oli also instructed not to delay the approval of the Ministry of Forest for the work that the government has decided for the project. He said, "The Ministry of Forest should not act as if it brought the forest from its own home. During the construction of the project, there have been complaints that the Ministry of Forest has stopped the decisions made by the Council of Ministers.

Protecting the forest according to the need, the industry will be allowed to operate in places where there is no forest. The meeting reviewed the work of the council for one year and informed about the status of implementation of the decisions of the previous meeting, the effective participation of Nepal in the World Climate Conference (COP-29) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November 2024, changing the name of the Ministry of Forests and Environment to Forests, Environment and Climate Change and It has decided to take guidelines etc. for the next one year.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakashman Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Devendra Dahal, Forest and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi, Chief Ministers of various provinces, National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Dr Shivraj Adhikari, chief secretary Eak Narayan Aryal and others.