Nepal's participation in COP29 has been effective: Minister Shahi

Kathmandu, November 19 — Forests and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri has said Nepal's participation is going on in an effective manner in the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) under way in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Talking to journalists upon arrival home after participating in COP29, he said Nepal has been raising issues of its concern with priority in the COP29 and various high-level meetings related to these topics have also been held in that connection. As the Minister said, agreements have also been made on topics including providing various grants to Nepal in the fight against climate crisis.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry Dhaniram Sharma, Dr Maheshwar Dhakal, Dr Buddhi Sagar Poudel, Nawaraj Pudasaini, Sanjib Rai, Dhananjaya Lamichhane and Under-Secretary Deepa Oli have been leading Nepal on thematic sessions on climate finance, loss and damage due to climate change, enhancing the transparency of the framework, carbon trade, capacity building, emission reduction, and inclusiveness in climate change, respectively in the COP29. They are also participating in the technical sessions on behalf Nepal.

Minister Shahi also mentioned the separate meetings he had with his Bangladesh counterpart, the UN Secretary-General's special advisor, the chairperson of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), the UK Minister on Climate Change, the UK Special Representative on Climate Change, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director-General, among other officials on the sideline of the COP29.

According to the Minister, in these meetings discussions were held on matters of interest and concern of Nepal in the context of climate change issues. He said in the COP29 discussions are focused on adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, technology development and transfer, capacity development, LDCs' issues, effect of climate change response implementation, Clause 6 of Paris Agreement, Just Transition-related Work Programme, Gender Mainstreaming in Climate Change, among other topics.

He expected cooperation from all including the civil society, journalists and the NGOS as well as the government agencies to augment the topic of climate justice that Nepal has been raising.

Other sessions as the Sixth Session of State Parties to Paris Agreement (CMA-6), the 19th Session of State Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP-19), and SBSTA-61/SBI-61 are also going on as part of COP29. COP29 opened amidst a grand ceremony on November 11 and it will conclude on November 22.