Balen at the UN: Nepal flooding, a warning for everyone downstream

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the United Nations General Assembly, urging the world to take notice of the country's recent devastating floods. The floods, which struck the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli valleys in mid-August, have left over 1,450 dead and thousands more missing. Shah emphasized that Nepal, which contributes virtually no greenhouse gas emissions to the global problem, is not simply a bystander to this disaster. Instead, he argued that Nepal serves as a stark warning of the shared crisis facing the world.

Shah pointed out that the floods did not respect national borders, spilling into neighboring India and impacting millions of people downstream. He stressed that the Himalayas, home to the world's largest ice reserve outside the poles, are crucial to the water, food, and energy security of over 2 billion people. As permafrost thaws and mountain landscapes fracture, landslides can trigger devastating floods, as evidenced by the recent tragedy in Nepal.

The Prime Minister called on the international community to recognize the interconnectedness of these mountain regions as the front lines of a global crisis, rather than isolated incidents. He implored the world to heed Nepal's warning that the crisis is not an abstract problem, but a tangible threat that demands immediate attention and collective action.