UNITED NATIONS, Sep 25: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has proposed the creation of a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism involving Nepal, India and China to strengthen regional cooperation in tackling climate related disasters.
Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday in his maiden speech, Shah highlighted the growing impact of climate change on the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and the communities dependent on it.
He said the Hindu Kush Himalaya region supports nearly two billion people by providing water resources, ecosystems, agricultural opportunities and livelihoods. The region, he stressed, plays a vital role in sustaining populations well beyond the mountains.
Shah said Nepal, India and China should take the lead in establishing the proposed mechanism as an urgent measure to address increasing environmental and disaster risks.
Under the framework, the three countries could share satellite information and technical expertise, monitor potentially dangerous glacial lakes, improve joint early warning systems and coordinate relief efforts when disasters occur.
Shah said stronger cooperation could help transform the Himalayas into an area of international collaboration instead of one where critical information remains fragmented across borders.
He also pointed to the dangers posed by melting permafrost, which can weaken mountain slopes beneath glaciers and increase the likelihood of ice-rock avalanches, floods, landslides and other cascading disasters.
Referring to recent flash floods, Shah said the resulting destruction affected areas on both sides of the Nepal-China border, while floodwaters continued downstream towards India, underlining the need for coordinated regional disaster preparedness and response.