Kathmandu: President Ramchandra Paudel today departed for Azerbaijan, heading a Nepali delegation to the 29th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UN climate event is being held in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22.
According to National News Agency Nepal, President Paudel was seen off by Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and Speaker Devraj Ghimire at the VVIP Lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport in the afternoon. A contingent of the Nepali Army accorded a guard of honor to the President on the occasion.
Also present to bid farewell at the airport were Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, lawmakers, high-level government officials, chiefs of security bodies, and representatives of diplomatic missions in Nepal. President Paudel is attending the conference at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and is scheduled to address the ‘world leaders’ summit on climate action’ o
n November 12.
Nepal will be conducting a special high-level session under the leadership of President Paudel on November 13, alongside the COP29. The country aims to highlight its agenda in another high-level meeting focused on ‘addressing climate-related damage and loss in mountainous areas.’
Accompanying President Paudel is his spouse, Sabita Paudel, along with his environment expert Dr. Parameshwor Pokharel, personal secretary Abagya Paudel, and communication expert Kiran Kumar Pokharel. The delegation also includes Narayan Prasad Sharma, Secretary at the Office of the President, Krishna Hari Pushkar, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministers of Council, Dharmendra Jha, Chairman of Rastriya Samachar Samiti, and Amrit Bahadur Rai, Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
President Paudel is scheduled to return home on November 15.