Nepal has established a dedicated Environment Diplomacy Division as the country faces growing climate-related risks following devastating floods….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Nepal has established a dedicated Environment Diplomacy Division within its Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the country grapples with growing climate-related risks following devastating floods that have killed more than 1,400 people.
The new division is intended to strengthen and coordinate Nepal’s climate diplomacy and international engagement on environmental issues, with the government saying the move reflects the growing impact of climate change and the need for a dedicated institutional mechanism.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the bodies of 1,411 people swept away by the floods had been recovered as of Saturday evening, while 5,875 people, including Nepali and foreign nationals, remained missing following the devastating floods of August 26.
Experts have identified climate change and global warming as likely contributing factors in the disaster. An analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international scientific collaboration that assesses the influence of human-caused climate change on extreme weather events, said last week that warming had thinned glaciers and thawed mountain permafrost.
The changes likely contributed to the destabilisation of a Himalayan slope that collapsed on August 26, triggering catastrophic flooding in Nepal, according to the report.
“Warming and permafrost degradation likely weakened the source rock wall by increasing bedrock temperatures and thawing ice within fractures. Loss of ice bonding reduces fracture strength, while meltwater can increase water pressure and further destabilise pre-existing geological weaknesses,” the report said.
“Thus, permafrost degradation may have acted as an additional climate-related factor preconditioning the slope for failure.”
Against the backdrop of increasing disaster risks, the Nepali government decided to establish a separate division within the Foreign Ministry to focus on climate diplomacy.
“The ministry decided to set up the division considering the growing impacts of climate change and the need to address emerging challenges through a dedicated institutional mechanism,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Nepal has regularly participated in national, regional and international forums dealing with climate change and environmental protection. The ministry said the new division would help advance these efforts in a more coordinated and institutionalised manner.
“The new division has been set up to advance these efforts in a more coordinated and institutionalised manner,” the ministry said. “The division will facilitate international diplomatic initiatives related to climate and environmental issues and coordinate with relevant agencies.”
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said Nepal had been pursuing climate diplomacy through various international forums but that these efforts now needed to be institutionalised further.
“Now, there is a need to institutionalise these efforts further,” he said. “Climate diplomacy cannot be advanced simply by focusing on participation in events ranging from one Conference of the Parties (COP) to another or in other international programmes.”
Khanal said the institutional structure of the new division could be strengthened in the future depending on its needs and workload.
He also stressed that Nepal’s climate diplomacy should extend beyond discussions about the impacts of climate change and disasters. According to the minister, the country should regularly advance its priorities and initiatives on climate-related issues through diplomatic channels.
The Foreign Ministry’s decision comes ahead of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where Nepal plans to highlight climate change and its increasing impact on vulnerable countries.
The Nepali government has decided that Prime Minister Balendra Shah will attend the high-level week of the 81st UNGA session. He is scheduled to leave for New York on September 22, leading the Nepali delegation, and is expected to address the General Debate on September 24.
Khanal is also scheduled to travel to New York on Sunday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The establishment of the new division comes as Nepal seeks to strengthen its institutional response to climate-related challenges while continuing to raise the concerns of vulnerable mountainous countries in international forums.
