KATHMANDU, Sept 24: Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal addressed the annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 & China (G-77 & China) on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. 

In the meeting, Foreign Secretary Paudyal stated that humanity faces multiple challenges arising from the pandemic, climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, and economic recession. People’s livelihood in vulnerable nations like the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS were severely impacted by the problems like rising inequality, soaring food and fuel prices as well as financial and debt distress, he said.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal also called for the timely implementation of internationally agreed goals and frameworks like 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement, Addis Ababa Action Agenda, among others, as a way out of the crisis. Emphasizing on the importance of solidarity and cooperation at the global level, the Foreign Secretary underscored the need to fulfill ODA commitments and to utilize all forms of cooperation—North-South, South-South and Triangular—to accelerate global development. He reiterated Nepal’s solidarity with the group’s principles of unity, solidarity, and cooperation, and Nepal’s support for the cause of global peace and prosperity.

Earlier on Friday, Foreign Secretary  Paudyal had cordial meetings separately with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry and Deputy-Foreign Minister of Vietnam Ha Kim Ngoc and discussed matters of mutual interest at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

The Foreign Secretary also had a fruitful meeting with UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative Rabab Fatima. The discussion was focused on strengthening cooperation between Nepal and the UN on issues related to LDCs and LLDCs, and Nepal’s graduation from the LDC category.

Similarly, Foreign Secretary Paudyal met separately with Under-Secretary General for Operational Support Atul Khare and Under-Secretary General for Peace Operation Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Matters related to Nepal-UN partnership in UN peacekeeping including deployment, training and safety/security of peacekeepers were discussed.

 
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