Kathmandu: During his official visit to Nepal, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pledged to draw global attention to the profound impact of climate change on mountainous regions, specifically in Nepal. His commitment was made during a visit to Khumbu Pasang Lhyamu rural municipality-4 in Solukhumbu, as part of his four-day trip to Nepal.

Guterres engaged in an interactive session with the local community, focusing on the challenges posed by climate change and its daily ramifications. He expressed his determination to shed light on the consequences of climate change in mountainous areas, incorporating the insights of local residents into discussions at COP-28, the UN Climate Change Conference.

During the discussion, Guterres emphasized that while developed nations bear a significant responsibility for climate change, it is disheartening to witness rural areas like Khumbu disproportionately affected by its consequences, as noted by rural municipality chair Laxman Adhikari. Guterres pledged to initiate efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and raise global awareness of the urgency in addressing these issues.

The local community shared various climate change-related concerns during the interaction, including issues like snow melting, climate change-induced hazards, water resource depletion, impacts on local agriculture, and incidents of avalanches. They also highlighted the energy crisis in their area and requested UN support for the development of micro hydropower projects.

The UN Secretary-General's delegation includes Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Undersecretary General for Peace Operations at the United Nations, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, and other UN officials.

Guterres arrived in Nepal on Sunday for his four-day official visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda.' On the first day of his visit, he separately met with President Ramchandra Paudel and PM Dahal. He also held separate meetings with Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (UML) Chair and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud.

In addition to these meetings, Secretary-General Guterres visited the historic and archaeological site of Patan Durbar Square. PM Dahal hosted a banquet reception in his honor on Sunday evening.

During his visit, Guterres is scheduled to visit Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp, and Lumbini. The Parliament Secretariat has announced that he will address the joint session of the federal parliament on Tuesday afternoon