Addressing the event on behalf of the Prime Minister, Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal, the Leader of the Nepali Delegation, reiterated Nepal’s commitment for achieving the MDGs through integrated national development strategies and highlighted the daunting challenges that LDCs as group has been facing with regards to meeting MDG targets in the wake of multiple crises, economic and financial, food, and energy together with the adverse and uneven impacts of climate change combined with melting of glaciers including in the Himalayas.[break]
Minister Rawal called for a coherent support for LDCs in their efforts, through enhanced Official Development Assistance, better trade access and trading capacity, including smooth transit facilities to landlocked countries, debt relief, facilitatory provisions for FDI and support for transfer of technology and minimization of digital divide.
He emphasized on the need to have an ambitious, forward-looking, result-oriented plan of action fully backed by strong political will at the international level and the provision of adequate resources within the framework of global partnership for development to enable the LDCs to meet the MDG targets.
All the invited dignitaries, including the President of the General Assembly and the UN Secretary General, the President of Turkey and the Prime Minister of Belgium addressed the side-event and underlined the need for adopting supportive measures to address the development challenges of LDCs, according to the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations.
Assistant Secretary General of UNDP, Ajay Chibber made a statement on behalf of the Administrator of UNDP and Dr. Arjun Karki, Coordinator, on behalf of LDC Watch. A large number of participants, mostly Ministers, took the floor and joined the discussions.
Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Gyan Chandra Acharya presented the summary of discussions highlighting the important views expressed during the meeting.
Since the High-Level event was organized at the level of head of state and government, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, as a former Chair of LDC, was requested to preside over the event.
The side event has helped spotlight LDC issues at high level and provided strategic guidance to the preparation of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
This was the first time that a LDC focused event at the level of Head of State and Government was organized by the Government of Nepal at the margins of high level UN meetings.
Later in the day, Minister Rawal delivered a statement at the side event entitled ‘Climate Vulnerabilities and its impacts on MDGs’ organized by Bangladesh and co-sponsored by all the SAARC Member States.
In his statement, Minister Rawal observed that the global warming has precipitated snow melts in the Nepal Himalaya and reiterated Nepal’s efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and recalled the high-level regional climate change conference “From Kathmandu to Copenhagen’ with focus on the Himalayan region and the Cabinet meeting of Nepal at Kaala Patthar, Mt. Everest Base Camp, at an altitude of 5542 meters.
While upholding the South Asian solidarity on the issue of climate change on the basis of Thimpu Statement on Climate Change which was adopted during the SAARC Summit in Bhutan, Minister Rawal reminded that the challenges of the climate change is more pervasive and indiscriminate in the South Asia region than in other parts of the world.
He encouraged the international community to adhere to the principles of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and asked them to come up with ambitious mitigation measures and long term, sustainable and new funding for mitigation, adaption and transfer of technology.
He emphasized on the need of a legally binding international instrument to succeed Kyoto Protocol, deeper commitments to cut green house gas emissions from the developed countries and countries which have highest per capita emission, transparent, predictable and substantially enhance level of resource availability for countries with least capacity.
The side event was chaired by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Ministers from Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Foreign Secretary of Bhutan and a representative of Afghanistan delivered the statements.
The Foreign Minister of Mexico, host of COP 16 and the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell shared their perspectives. UNDP Administrator Helen Clark also addressed the side event.
The SAARC Goodwill Ambassador and noted mountaineer Appa Sherpa also took part in the panel discussion along with Assistant Secretary General of UNDP and the Climate Change Representative of the World Bank which was chaired by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
The side event has helped highlight the severe impacts of climate change on Nepal as well as Nepal’s position on climate issues.
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