Kathmandu: Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN, addressed the High-Level Panel on “Mobilizing Finance for Water Infrastructure in LLDCs” organized by the Government of Tajikistan and UN-OHRLLS. As the keynote speaker, he highlighted that water is fundamental to dignity, food security, energy, health, and climate resilience. He emphasized that for LLDCs and LDCs, the challenge is not the absence of global capital, but the failure to channel financing at the scale and urgency required for resilient water infrastructure.
Reflecting Nepal’s experience, he noted the paradox of being a water-rich country powered largely by hydropower while millions still lack safely managed drinking water and remain vulnerable to climate-induced water stress. He called for scaling the mobilization of private finance, stronger public-private partnerships, expanded blended finance, innovative instruments such as green bonds and climate-resilient financing, and greater international support under the Awaza Programme of Action and the Sevilla Commitment to transform infrastructure investment into a driver of resilience and sustainable development.
