Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called for closer cooperation between Nepal, India and China to tackle the growing climate risks facing the Himalayan region, using his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly to highlight the devastating flash floods that struck Nepal last month.
Speaking at the UN on Thursday, Shah described the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster as a warning to the world. He said the floods swept away roads, bridges, schools, homes and livelihoods, interrupting Nepal’s development progress. Nepalese authorities and assessments have reported more than 1,400 deaths and thousands of people still missing following the disaster.
Shah linked the increasing risks to a warming climate and the fragile ecology of the Hindu Kush Himalayas. He said melting permafrost, unstable mountain slopes, glacial hazards, floods and landslides were creating risks that extended beyond national borders.
Against this backdrop, the Nepalese prime minister proposed establishing a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism led by Nepal, India and China. The proposed framework would facilitate satellite-data and technical-expertise sharing, monitoring of dangerous glacial lakes, joint early-warning systems and coordinated cross-border disaster response.
Shah also thanked India and China for their prompt assistance following the disaster, alongside support from other countries, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations. He argued that climate disasters should not become another geopolitical divide and called for greater international support for vulnerable countries.
The Hindu Kush Himalayan region, Shah noted, supports nearly two billion people through its water resources, ecosystems, agriculture and livelihoods. He urged the three neighbouring countries to turn the Himalayas into a platform for international cooperation and climate resilience.
