KATHMANDU, Nov 8: The United Nations Climate Conference to be held in Azerbaijan will see 30 people from Nepal participating, instead of the three originally planned. The Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) has nominated over two dozen employees, many with no relevant roles, along with unrelated individuals, as experts, to enable 30 people to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Along with ministry staff, Forest and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi’s personal secretary Lek Bikram Shahi and his son Rajendra Shahi are also attending the conference. According to a source at the ministry, apart from the minister, secretary, and division chief, none of the other employees have any relevant tasks. The source added that since it’s “a huge jamboree”, ministry staff have been seeking support from international development partners to attend the event.
Forest ministry Spokesperson Badri Raj Dhungana confirmed that some employees are going to the conference. "All relevant employees will attend, but the organizing body will cover expenses for only three people," he said.
When asked about the expenses for others, he said he was not informed about that. "I don't know about the others; those who wish to go may have made arrangements for their expenses. This is just a continuation of the practice from the previous conferences," Dhungana said. When questioned about how the Nepal government and its employees maintain their dignity while traveling abroad under the sponsorship of development partner organizations, he declined to comment, stating he had no knowledge on the matter. According to the source at the ministry, various development partner organizations are being pressured to sponsor the foreign trip.
Azerbaijan to host COP-29
The list of employees participating in the conference, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to November 22, has been prepared, and some have already left. According to ministry sources, Forest and Environment Minister Shahi, State Minister Rupa BK, and 30 other employees from the ministry are set to travel to Baku.
"Other participants, apart from members and experts in various bodies of the UNFCCC, have no relevant work there," claimed the source. He also said that it is a wrong practice to seek support from development partners to attend conferences abroad. "Asking for support means promising to do them favors in return. After receiving such support, representatives of these partner organizations have been seen to treat ministry employees poorly," the employee said.
The chief of the Climate Change Management Division of the MoFE, Sindhu Dhungana, has already reached Azerbaijan, according to the employee.
Among those set to attend the conference from the ministry, Sindhu is also the focal person for the UNFCCC. Similarly, the ministry's Joint Secretary Buddhi Sagar Paudel is a member of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group. Maheshwar Dhakal is involved in the Loss and Damage (L&D) sector. Nabaraj Pudasaini, from the REDD Implementation Center under the MoFE, is working on carbon trading.
Naresh Sharma, the undersecretary of the Climate Change Management Division, is a member of the Adaptation Fund Board. "Apart from the members, focal persons, and experts in UNFCCC bodies, no one else has any role. To put it more plainly, apart from the minister who will give a speech, and the secretary and division chief, no one else has any responsibility or role," said the employee. "It’s embarrassing; after November 11, the MoFE will have to search for employees to do the everyday work."
When asked why so many employees are going, Spokesperson Dhungana responded that there will be sideline discussions on various topics, and so their participation is necessary. "There are five divisions, and employees from those divisions will also participate. They are going with the intention of gaining experience for future negotiations. This should not be seen negatively," he said.
Employees from the administration, accounting, legal departments, along with staff from Minister Shahi’s Secretariat and his son, will also attend the conference, despite having no role in the bilateral meetings or sideline events.
According to the source, the participants from the ministry for the conference include Minister Shahi, State Minister BK, Secretary Dipak Kharal, Joint Secretary Buddhi Sagar Paudel, Maheshwar Dhakal, Sindhu Dhungana, Chief of the REDD Implementation Center Nabaraj Pudasaini, Director General of the Department of Plant Resources Sanjeev Rai, Joint Secretary of the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation Dhananjay Lamichhane, Joint Secretary for Administration Bhupal Baral, Undersecretary for Law Mahendra Shahi, Undersecretary for Accounts Dipak Adhikari, Undersecretary for Administration Shovakar Regmi.
Additional participants include Section Officer for Administration Ganga Pandey, Khem Kafle, Narayan Rayamajhi, Under Secretary of the Climate Change Management Division Naresh Sharma, Raju Sapkota, Shiva Khanal, Suman Subedi, Hari Sharma, Prakash Thapa, Deepa Oli, Technical Officers Himal Shiwakoti, Sheela Gyawali, Prakash Lamichhane, Narayan Pokharel, Amrit Sharma, Legal Officer Janak Raj Shahi, Minister Shahi’s Personal Secretary Lek Bikram Shahi, and the Minister’s son Rajendra Shahi. In addition to them, some other employees, journalists, and experts will also participate in the conference.
