Kathmandu, September 6
Nepali Congress president Gagan Kumar Thapa has urged Prime Minister Balendra Shah to present Nepal’s case on climate change and disaster losses at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly with scientific evidence, data and concrete claims.
Speaking at the party’s Central Working Committee meeting at Sanepa on Sunday, Thapa said Shah’s upcoming foreign visit should not be reduced to a formal trip or a “grand show”.
He urged the prime minister to consult climate experts, university researchers and specialists from relevant fields rather than relying solely on his secretariat while preparing for the visit.
Push for climate finance and compensation
Thapa said Nepal must make a stronger case internationally about the damage it is suffering from climate change despite contributing very little to global greenhouse gas emissions.
He cited disasters such as the devastating Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa as evidence of the disproportionate impact of climate-related disasters on countries such as Nepal.
“We have been raising the issue of being affected by climate change for years, but our claims now need to be based on scientific studies,” Thapa said. “Nepal must lobby strongly not only for loss and damage but also for grant-based climate finance.”
He also called for a review of the issues raised by previous Nepali governments and prime ministers at international forums.
Thapa said Nepal should build on earlier initiatives, including calls to link the “Himalayas to the oceans” and efforts to advance climate justice at COP28.
He said Nepal would be in a stronger position to establish its concerns internationally and secure concrete outcomes if its preparations were based on consultations with experts and skilled professionals both inside and outside the country.
Calls for change to law on missing persons
Thapa also called for an immediate amendment to the existing legal provision under which a person who goes missing in a disaster cannot be legally declared dead for 12 years.
He said the provision was creating additional uncertainty for families affected by the Bhotekoshi floods.
“The current legal provision that prevents a missing person from being declared dead for 12 years means families fear they will be unable to perform the final rites of their loved ones or access government benefits and rights,” Thapa said.
He called for the law to be amended to allow local governments to certify deaths in cases involving major disasters.
‘Tunnel rescue preparedness was inadequate’
Thapa also called for a serious review of disaster preparedness in hydropower projects and tunnels following the recent disaster in the Trishuli-Bhotekoshi corridor.
He said rescue operations inside tunnels during natural disasters had exposed significant challenges and that the government needed to examine whether existing project designs and technologies were adequate.
“We need to do more when it comes to rescuing people from tunnels during natural disasters,” he said. “We need technical clarity on whether this should be addressed during the design of projects or whether new technology is required.”
He said disaster preparedness, rescue equipment and appropriate technology should be incorporated from the infrastructure design stage itself.
Thapa said the country must learn from the latest disaster and improve preparedness and technology to reduce the risks of future disasters.
‘Service to disaster victims is the priority’
Thapa also said helping people affected by the floods and landslides should take precedence over the Congress’s internal political activities and dialogue.
He said the party’s organisational activities and convention-related discussions were part of a regular political process, but the current crisis required the party to focus on those affected in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading.
Thapa, who recently visited some of the worst-affected areas, described the situation as devastating, saying communities had lost homes, family members and access to roads.
“This is not an ordinary disaster but a major catastrophe,” he said. “We will reach the last mile and remain with the affected citizens.”
He said relief and reconstruction were necessary, but affected people also needed compassion and solidarity.
Addressing questions about his recent meetings with senior Congress leaders, Thapa said his priority at present was the problems faced by disaster victims rather than internal political discussions.
“Meetings with Sher Bahadur Deuba, Dr Shekhar Koirala and Purna Bahadur Khadka naturally attract media attention,” he said. “But for me, solving the problems of victims in Dhading, Rasuwa and Nuwakot and communicating with them is more important right now.”
Thapa said Congress cadres were already working in the affected districts and that the party would formulate its next steps based on information collected from the ground.
He also pledged that the party would continue working with disaster-affected communities through the upcoming festival season.
“This time, the festivals will not touch us,” he said. “We will continue working alongside those who have lost everything.”
