New York, September 23
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has arrived in New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Shah was welcomed upon arrival by Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa, Acting Nepali Ambassador to the United States Sharad Raj Aran, and Consul General of Nepal in New York Dadhiram Bhandari.
Shah is leading the Nepali high-level delegation to the General Assembly. His team includes Chief Adviser Kumar Ben, among other officials.
Considerable interest has been generated over what Shah will say in his address to the General Assembly, as this will be his first appearance at the UN’s largest annual gathering since becoming prime minister.
There is also interest in who Shah will meet — and who he will not meet — during his stay in New York.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shah is scheduled to address the high-level general debate of the General Assembly on September 24.
Before addressing the General Assembly, Shah is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to a source close to the prime minister.
The meeting with Guterres has been scheduled ahead of Shah’s address to the General Assembly.
Eighteen heads of state or government are scheduled to address the General Assembly during the daytime session on Thursday. Shah is 17th on the speakers’ list.
The General Assembly has allocated 15 minutes for each speaker. However, heads of government are not strictly required to conclude their addresses within that time.
“Some leaders speak for longer while others finish within 15 minutes,” a source said. “Accordingly, Prime Minister Shah’s turn is expected to come at around 4 or 5am Nepal time on Friday.”
The most important high-level segment of the UN General Assembly began in New York on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Guterres, US President Donald Trump and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock were among those who addressed the opening session.
Shah’s address comes as Nepal faces growing impacts from climate-related disasters.
Nepal has been seeking greater international attention to the challenges faced by climate-vulnerable countries and discussions over climate justice and the rights of countries suffering disproportionate losses from climate change.
According to sources familiar with the prime minister’s preparations, Shah is expected to use his address to highlight the damage Nepal has suffered from climate-related disasters and press the case for the rights and interests of vulnerable countries.
The prime minister’s decision to attend the General Assembly is particularly significant because he had initially indicated after taking office that he would not undertake foreign visits for a year.
He later decided to travel to New York following the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi area, with the government saying he would use the international forum to raise Nepal’s concerns over climate change and climate justice.
