Minister of Population and Environment Mithila Chaudhary said that adequate means of implementation and its easy access is key to unlock climate action in developing countries, particularly LDCs.  

 Addressing the UNFCCC LDC preparatory meeting for UNFCCC COP 23 in Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia minister Chaudhary said that she believes this meeting will serve as learning and sharing platform, as well as provide guidance to our negotiators for preparation of COP23 to be held in Bonn, Germany in November.

 “We all know that climate change is happening. It knows no geographical boundaries and it does not discriminate between poor and rich, men and women, young and old. It is indiscriminate! But those who are not directly contributing to its causes are also forced to bear the brunt of its impact. As Nepalis, a mountainous country, the impact of climate change are more visible in its hilly region. Nepal, one of the Least Developed Countries, shares only 0.027% of global greenhouse gas emission, is suffering from the increasing impacts of climate change. Recently, due to incessant rainfall, a massive scale of flooding and landslide devastated Eastern Terai of Nepal where more than 131people lost their lives and more than 80% of its agricultural land and approximately 35,000 houses were inundated affecting more than 11.5 million people,” said Minister.

 Minister Chaudhary said that realizing the national needs to address the issues of increasing impact of climate change and as a solidarity to the international process, Nepal is making vigorous efforts to address climate change through policy formulation, institutional arrangements, program development and implementation. Taking forward the experience of National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), we also formulated National Framework for Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) to localize and implement the adaptation priorities.

 “Nepal formulated Climate Change Policy in 2011 which envisions for 80% of the total project fund to be spent at the community level. In Nepal, we have started a process to formulate National Adaptation Plan of identifying medium and long-term adaptation needs and options. Also, realizing the need to move towards low carbon climate resilient development path, Nepal is also finalizing the Low Carbon Economic Development Strategy,” minister Chaudhary added.

 “Like many of other LDCs, Nepal is also a party to the Paris Agreement and has communicated its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) highlighting national priorities and actions on adaptation, mitigation and loss, and damage.

For the UNFCCC process, Nepal is playing an active role. It successfully led this group in the year 2013-14 and chaired the Adaptation Fund Board for the year 2016. As we only have about one year to complete the work program in finalizing the rule-book of the Paris Agreement, progress on COP23 is crucial and important. Now onwards, the mode of the work should move forward to the text-based negotiation,” minister said.

 Adequate means of implementation and its easy access is key to unlock climate action in developing countries, particularly LDCs. As we move ahead in implementing the Paris Agreement, our countries should not be burden with additional reporting requirements. In the recent years, we have been inspired with many developed and developing countries taking ambitious climate actions in renewable energy, transport, and building climate resilience. In this regards, we call for countries with higher emission to urgently contrive activities that help to maintain temperature increase below 1.5 degree Celsius as guided by the Paris Agreement.

 She said that this meeting will guide us in preparing for the COP23 and in implementing climate actions.