I congratulate the President and the members of the Bureau on their respective elections.
I also express my deep appreciation to the Secretary- General. Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his unremitting efforts to strengthen the United Nations and promote the cause of multilateralism. There could be no better time to deliberate on the theme of rebuilding trust reigniting global solidarity, particularly when trust and cooperation are in short supply and crises of confidence rule the world.
Today, due to the resurgence of geopolitical competition, power polarization and economic nationalism, the maintenance of world peace and security, the foremost goal of the Charter of the United Nations, has come under serious strain. Spending on arms is on the rise, but resources for the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have become scarce.
We must correct that course and focus on our common goals of peace, prosperity and progress. It is time to build trust, promote partnership and
collaboration and work in solidarity as the world faces challenges of an unprecedented scale and nature.
I have fond memories of addressing this Assembly back in 2008 (see A/63/PV.11) as the Prime Minister of a country that had just made a transformation of historic proportions — one from armed conflict to an inclusive and nationally owned peace process; from centuries- old feudal monarchical rule to a democratic republican order; and from a multiparty democratic polity where participation of all sections of our society is ensured.
Fifteen years on. we have come a long way. We successfully transitioned through a nationally led peace process. In 2015. an elected constituent assembly promulgated a democratic Constitution, which consolidated the universally recognized values of human rights, participatory democracy, periodic elections, inclusive proportional representation, full freedom of the press, an independent judiciary and the rule of law.
The successive two cycles of federal, provincial and local elections have resulted in the increased participation of women. Dalits, youths and underrepresented communities at all levels of governance. We have been able to ensure a 41 per cent representation of women in local assemblies, whereas a minimum 33 per cent is constitutionally guaranteed in the provincial assemblies and Federal Parliament.
We have firmly established that our sovereignty lies in Nepali people, who are the real source of State power. We are now closer to logically concluding our unique, nationally owned and homegrown peace process. Completing the remaining task of transitional justice is top on my political agenda. As Prime Minister and a co-signatory of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. I have been making serious efforts to bridge the gaps and build consensus among the key stakeholders.
An amendment bill related to transitional justice has been submitted in the Federal Parliament to address the concerns of the victims, strike a right balance between peace, justice and reparation and ensure that the transitional justice process is broadly owned by our society. The proposed bill, evolved through a wider consultative process, takes a victim-centred approach and recognizes reparation as a victim’s right. In the process, there will be no blanket amnesty for serious violation of human rights. The ultimate objective is to establish enduring peace in the country and foster harmony in society through peace, justice and reconciliation.
I appeal to the international community for their goodwill and support of the conclusion of the final leg of our peace process and call on them to duly recognize this rare example of successful conflict transformation. As Nepal’s political course has taken a stable shape, our focus is now on the agenda of economic transformation. We are aware that political achievements can be sustained only by socioeconomic growth and development. It is not least in this light that the central focus of the current Government is on mobilizing all its energy and resources to accelerate development works and ensure good governance.
We are graduating from the least developed countries (LDCs) status by 2026; and we are committed to making our graduation smooth, sustainable and irreversible. We are currently in the process of finalizing the smooth transition strategy of graduation. We have put Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the centre of our development vision and priorities. However, crises such as the coronavirus disease pandemic, climate change and heightened geopolitical competition have threatened our hard-earned progress in achieving the SDGs.
We therefore call for an enhanced level of international support in the form of development assistance, foreign direct investment, export promotion, special drawing rights allocation, technology transfer and technical assistance. Nepal welcomes the Secretary- General’s call for an increase in SDG financing by $500 billion per year.
As the current Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the LDCs. we remain actively engaged in collaboration with our fellow LDCs in all relevant forums, including in the United Nations system, to protect and promote our collective interests. We stress the need to mainstream the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries into all important United Nations processes and development systems and the development cooperation frameworks of our partners. We call for a fair and equitable international trading regime that benefits the LDCs. Coordinated policies aimed at debt relief, debt restructuring and debt swap, as envisaged by the Doha Programme of Action, must be translated into reality.
Climate change has assumed a crisis proportion, and the clock is ticking. Our inaction or little action will
surely invite disastrous consequences for humankind. We must therefore set higher ambitions and commit to achieving those ambitions in a time-bound manner.
Climate vulnerable mountainous countries like Nepal have been bearing the severe brunt of climate change. The Himalayas are the source of fresh water for over 2 billion people. Global warming has induced the rapid receding of ice in our Himalayas. It has not only eroded the health of our mountains but also endangered the lives and livelihoods of millions of people living downstream. The human and financial toll due to floods, droughts and other extreme climate-induced events is terrifying.
On our part, we remain fully committed to the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and achieving its goals. Nepal has set an ambitious target of reaching a net-zero scenario by 2045. We have already submitted our updated nationally determined contribution and aligned our national policies and plans with it. Our priorities include conserving and sustainably managing land, forest and water resources, undertaking effective adaptation and mitigation measures and promoting a green and resilient economy. To that end. we are working to ensure access to clean energy for all citizens. Easy access to climate finance will be the key to low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways. The early operationalization of the loss and damage fund is equally crucial, as well as fulfilling the target of the $100 billion commitment and doubling adaptation climate finance. It is an irony that my country. Nepal — 45 per cent of whose area is richly biodiverse forest and 15 per cent high mountains — releases far less in terms of greenhouse-gas emissions while contributing significantly to ecological preservation, and yet has suffered unfairly from the climate crisis. That kind of mismatch must be addressed through a compensation mechanism to the countries that make a positive contribution to the greening of the planet.
It is distressing that conflicts within and between countries are increasing. Nepal opposes any use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity, political independence and sovereignty of any country. The people of Libya. Syria and Yemen continue to bear the brunt of protracted conflicts, and their suffering must end. We believe that the United Nations-brokered truce in Yemen must be allowed to transition to a sustained peace. The protracted stalemate in Libya must give way to peace and reconciliation. The Palestinian people deserve peace and an end to their prolonged conflict. Nepal reiterates its support for a two-State solution with Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side, within internationally recognized borders based on the relevant United Nations resolutions. We continue to support nationally owned, peaceful, just and lasting solutions to conflicts around the world. Peace founded on inclusion, empowerment, economic prosperity and justice has a much better chance of lasting longer.
The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continues to threaten peace and security in the world. The continuing stockpiling of nuclear arsenals, a growing arms race and ever-increasing military expenditure are worrisome. Nepal reiterates its call for the total and time-bound disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological weapons. As the host country to the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. Nepal believes that regional processes, including the Kathmandu process, reinforce the global disarmament regime.
The vacuum in international governance on cyberspace and artificial intelligence demands multilateral regulation. The potential dual uses of artificial intelligence call for urgent, informed deliberations on preventing its potential misuse and strengthening international cooperation. Nepal also condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and we call for the conclusion of a comprehensive global treaty against terrorism as soon as possible.
Nepal’s commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights is total and unflinching. We believe in an integrated approach to democracy, development and human rights. Nepal attaches great importance to ensuring the safety, security, dignity and well-being of migrant workers, and we call for effectively implementing the Global Compact for Safe. Orderly and Regular Migration in order to ensure that migration works for all.
The Panchsheel principles, non-alignment, the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the norms of world peace continue to guide Nepal’s foreign policy. Amity, cordiality and fraternity make up the underlying ethos of our international engagements. We want to promote relations with our neighbours and all other friendly countries on a basis of sovereign equality, non-interference and mutual respect. We remain steadfast in our commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its centre. True to its
commitment. Nepal has continued to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security through its consistent participation in United Nations-mandated peacekeeping operations for the past 65 years. As what is currently the world’s second-largest troop- and police-contributing country, we have always deployed our peacekeepers in response to every call and without any caveats, even in the most challenging situations. Our peacekeepers have earned a particular reputation for dedication, professionalism and competence, which has been widely acknowledged by the United Nations and host Governments and societies alike. We reiterate our call for ensuring a fair share of leadership positions at Headquarters and in the field for the troop- and police-contributing countries.
We know that today’s global governance architecture largely reflects yesterday’s world. Timely reform is essential if our multilateral institutions are to remain relevant and reflect today’s realities. Nepal supports reforming the Security Council with a view to making it more broadly representative, democratic, transparent and accountable. We call for revitalizing the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in a way that expands the roles of those two vital organs. We need an inclusive and effective multilateralism that can better respond to and deliver on the needs of the people and the planet. Structural reform of the international financial architecture is long overdue. The voices of countries in special situations, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, must be heard and their meaningful representation ensured. Only a more democratic, inclusive, fair and representative international financial architecture can be an antidote to our deep-rooted inequities and gaps.
In conclusion, it is our collective responsibility to establish peace and prosperity for everyone, everywhere, and to ensure that no one is left behind.