Kathmandu:The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously approved Nepal’s request for an extension of three additional years to prepare for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.
According to National News Agency RSS, the spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry, Lok Bahadur Paudel Chhetri, announced that Nepal’s deadline for LDC graduation is now extended until November 24, 2029. This extension, initially set for November 2026, was sought by Nepal considering the impacts of various national and international events. Chhetri emphasized that the additional time would facilitate a smoother transition to a developing country status.
At a press conference, it was also revealed that the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has allocated 21.6 million US dollars to aid survivors of the Bhotekoshi flood that occurred on August 26. The assistance follows a request made by Nepal on August 31 after the glacial disaster. Moreover, efforts are underway for Nepal’s high-level participation in the upcoming COP31 in Turkey, where a ‘framework agreement for cooperation on climate change’ with the Republic of Korea is expected to be signed.
Additionally, the 10th coordination meeting between Nepal’s Armed Police Force and India’s Border Security Force took place in Kathmandu, focusing on strengthening border security to combat cross-border crimes. In related developments, Foreign Minister Sishir Khanal conducted meetings to assess damages at the Rasuwagadhi border point and to discuss infrastructure reconstruction and resumption of checkpoints.
The Foreign Ministry also reported the rescue of 860 Nepalis from online fraud in Southeast Asian countries, and efforts are ongoing to repatriate the body of a Nepali worker killed in a drone attack in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Nepal’s Home Minister Sudhan Gurung participated in the first home ministerial meeting of BIMSTEC members in India, discussing regional cooperation on various security issues. Lastly, 250 thousand passports have been printed with a new system.