Kathmandu:Nepal will actively advocate for climate justice, financial support, and mountain conservation at the upcoming COP-31, as stated by Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment, Gita Chaudhary.
According to National News Agency RSS, Minister Chaudhary emphasized that despite Nepal’s minimal contribution to the climate crisis, its people bear significant consequences of a global issue they did not instigate. At an event hosted by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nepal, she highlighted Nepal’s receipt of 21.6 million US dollars from the Loss and Damage Fund and the approval to propose three projects worth approximately 45 million US dollars from the Adaptation Fund.
Minister Chaudhary argued for timely provision of climate finance in the form of grants rather than loans. She noted Nepal’s collaboration with Bhutan in proposing the inclusion of the ‘1.5 degree Celsius warming in mountain region’ issue in the COP-31 agenda.
The Minister called on developed nations to meet their climate finance commitments, enhance adaptation support threefold, and prioritize the challenges faced by mountain communities in global climate discussions. Minister Chaudhary also committed to ensuring the involvement of women, indigenous nationalities, Dalits, and youth in bringing climate finance to local levels.