KATHMANDU, Sept 21: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who is currently in the US to participate in the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, engaged himself in high-level meetings Tuesday night.
PM Bhattarai held a meeting with Bolivian President Evo Morales and discussed issues related to the world communist movement, said a press note issued by the PM´s aide Bishwodip Pandey. On the occasion, the two also discussed Nepal´s ongoing peace process and other issues of bilateral concern. [break]
Likewise, PM Bhattarai held separate meetings with Eric Solheim and Bruno Rodriguez, the foreign ministers of Norway and Cuba respectively, the press note stated.
The same night, PM Bhattarai addressed the Round Table 5 of the United Nations Private Sector Forum 2011 on the theme “Sustainable Energy for All: Water, Food and Energy Security”. During his speech, Bhattarai expressed Nepal´s commitment to tackling the issues related to water, food and energy security.
He said Nepal is on track toward achieving a number of its MDG targets despite some structural constraints. Bhattarai stated that the government had given a high priority to the promotion and development of renewable and alternative sources of energy in Nepal.
PM Bhattarai also attended a meeting on women and children with the theme “Every Woman and Every Child” hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon".
While addressing the meeting, Bhattarai said the government would make investments for expansion of birthing centers, Basic Essential Obstetric Care (BEOC) and Comprehensive Essential Obstetric Care (CEOC) sites, and partner with the private/ NGO sector to improve access of the marginalized and women living in remote districts to these services.
Likewise, he addressed a high-level meeting on nutrition, during which he expressed Nepal´s commitment to improving the nutritional status of children and women as a foundation for the country´s future socio-economic growth and development.
Bhattarai urged Nepal´s development partners to provide enhanced level of technical and financial cooperation stating that the country needs such support to tackle key challenges of nutrition, particularly in the cross-cutting areas of the Multi-Sectoral Plan, including institutional strengthening, capacity building and strengthening of monitoring and evaluation to track progress.
PM Bhattarai, who is leading a 13-member delegation at the UN meet, will address the assembly on Sept 24. He is scheduled to return home on Sept 26.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha addressed the roundtable of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on addressing desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
He said that Nepal is committed to maintaining around 40 percent of its land under forest cover in order to maintain natural environment and biodiversity.