Kathmandu: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli departed for Spain today, leading a 21-member Nepali delegation to participate in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development of the United Nations (FFD-4). The conference is set to take place in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the Prime Minister left at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakashman Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Civil Aviation Minister Badri Prasad Pandey, and Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal were present to bid farewell to the PM.
The conference will gather leaders from governments worldwide, along with representatives from global and regional organizations, financial and trade institutions, businesses, civil society, and the United Nations system. The discussions will focus on financing for development, with an emphasis on investment commitments made by affluent countries to assist poorer and smaller nations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Nepal will advocate for the interests of the least developed, small, and island nations. In addition to attending the conference sessions, PM Oli is scheduled for separate meetings with heads of state and government counterparts from various countries. He will also have a courtesy meeting with Spain’s King Philip II and Prime Minister Sanchez.
The Nepali delegation accompanying PM Oli includes First Lady Radhika Shakya, PM’s Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Finance Ministry Secretary Ghan Shyam Upadhyay, and Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Raj Kumar Shrestha, among others. PM Oli is expected to return to Nepal on the afternoon of July 4.