Kathmandu: Hon. Gita Chaudhary, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment, delivered a special address at the 7th Conference on Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on June 30. The conference is jointly organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand on June 29 and June 30.
In the conference focusing on “Strengthening Synergy between Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals: Integrated Implementation for Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development”, Minister Chaudhary said that despite Nepal’s three-dimensional sensitivity including underdeveloped countries, landlocked countries and high Himalayan regions, Nepal is contributing to global temperature control by emitting very low or negligible amounts of greenhouse gases and through biological diversity and environmental protection. and presented the fact that risks are being incurred. Demanding climate justice in the world scene, she emphasized the need to keep the mountain agenda at the center of the global climate agenda, mentioning the issue of the importance of the mountains and the glaciers emitted from them as storage of water in Asia.
The Minister mentioned that coordinated implementation of climate change agreement and sustainable development goals for Nepal is not a matter of choice but the highest utilization of limited resources is inevitable. Every investment made in these areas emphasized on solving the problems of climate change, achieving the goals of sustainable development and giving multifaceted returns.
Believing that the third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) of Nepal are fully coordinated with the sustainable development goals and these action plans are fully owned by the government, non-government and private sectors, she called for the support of the international community for their implementation.
Minister Chaudhary called on the international community to support the affected communities through the Climate Loss and Damage Fund, urging climate finance to be adequate, predictable, grant-based and easily accessible. She requested for the support of the international community to ensure that organic products produced in underdeveloped, landlocked and mountainous countries, including Nepal, which have contributed to the protection of environment and biodiversity, have convenient market access to the international market and guarantee environmental justice.
She pointed out the need to use the special opportunity that the conference of the member states of the three Rio Conventions is going to be completed in the same year, and to solve the three conferences against climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification as one related crisis. She emphasized on international cooperation and solidarity for solving environmental problems and achieving sustainable development goals and mentioned that Nepal is ready to play its role in building a sustainable future.
In addition to Nepal, Agriculture, Forest, and Environment Ministers from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Fiji, Pakistan and other countries participated in this program.
