Baku: As the stage is all set in Azerbaijan for the annual world climate conference, COP29, Nepal has finalized its agenda to be raised in the event. President Ram Chandra Paudel is scheduled to attend the UN climate conference being held in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Chief of the climate change division at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Dr. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, has informed that Nepal had finalized the agenda to be presented at COP29. He stated that loss and damage, mountain region, and climate finance would be the top agenda items, underlined in the national status paper after collecting suggestions from various groups focusing on carbon trade, climate finance, mitigation, adaptation, capacity building, gender equality, transparency, and good governance.
In order to draw world attention to climate change impacts in Nepal, a high-level session would be held under the chairmanship of President Paudel during COP29 on Nove
mber 13, according to Minister for Forest and Environment, Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri. Nepal had received permission from the UNFCCC to hold a separate session during the major event. The session will feature ‘addressing loss and damage in mountain region’, and it is expected to be attended by UN officials, representatives from mountainous countries, and development partners, among others. The pressing issues Nepal faced relating to loss and damage, including in Melamchi, Mustang, Kanchanpur, Thame, and Kathmandu Valley, would be shared on the occasion.
Dhungana further informed that LDCs would hold a group round discussion on November 5-6, while G77+ China will meet on November 9-10. Nepal will attend both of these sessions. Member of the Environment Conservation and Climate Change Management Council, Bimal Regmi, emphasized that Nepal should raise issues of present national interests and needs, with the Himalayas being a top priority.
As a party to UNFCCC, Nepal has been continuously attending COP, prepari
ng national adaptation plans, sharing climate ambitions, and reminding industrialized countries to pay heed to the urgency of climate change in LDCs and resource-crunch countries. Ministry Secretary Dr. Dipak Kumar Kharal observed that COP29 is significant for Nepal, as ‘climate finance’ and ‘carbon credit’ are major agenda items.