New York — Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, ahead of Shah’s address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting took place at 6:30 p.m. local time, with discussions focusing on the recent Bhotekoshi disaster, climate-related risks, riverbank resettlement, green reconstruction, and Nepal’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.
Guterres expressed deep sympathy over the loss of lives and property in the Bhotekoshi disaster and said the United Nations stands in solidarity with Nepal on climate-related issues. He also praised Nepal’s young delegation and recalled visiting Nepal as a tourist in 1978.
Prime Minister Shah thanked Guterres for his goodwill toward Nepal and congratulated him on his tenure. Shah highlighted the heavy losses caused by the Bhotekoshi disaster and warned that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods remains high.
The two sides also discussed the rehabilitation of people living along riverbanks and plans for green reconstruction. They further discussed support for extending the timeline for Nepal’s graduation from the UN’s LDC category.
