Kathmandu, Oct 6: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, who has reached Tuvalu, leading a Nepali delegation to the Pre-COP Leaders’ Event, has held meetings with various leaders.
He held a meeting with Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo. Minister Khanal expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to the Nepali delegation. Minister Khanal highlighted the shared risks and challenges faced by mountainous regions and small-island nations in the Pacific due to climate change and stressed the urgency to further bolster cooperation between the two sides on the climate issues.
Minister Khanal also met Prime Minister of Tonga, Fatafehi Fakafanua. The meeting was held during a field visit to the ‘Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project’ in Funafuti.
On this occasion, the two leaders dwelt on the risks posed by climate change to high-altitude mountain ecosystems and low-lying island nations.
Minister Khanal also held meeting with President of Mauritius, Dharamveer Gokhool. They held discussion on further strengthening cooperation between Nepal and Mauritius on the issues of climate change and climate action in international forums.
During a field visit, the Nepali delegation garnered knowledge on the coastal engineering and climate adaptation measures adopted by Tuvalu to mitigate the impacts of sea-level rise and ocean waves.
On the occasion, Minister Khanal said there was connection between rapid melting of glaciers and ice loss in the Himalayan region on the one hand and sea-level rise on the other.
Considering this, the mountainous countries and small island countries could think of cooperation like pressing for fulfillment of climate finance commitments in a timely, adequate and equitable manner to address sheer adversity of climate change.
