Statement by Prime Minister of Nepal Rt. Hon. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ in his capacity as the Chair of the Group of LDCs and in his national capacity at the Climate Ambition Summit 2023 New York, 20 September 2023

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Statement by Prime Minister of Nepal Rt. Hon. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ in his capacity as the Chair of the Group of LDCs and in his national capacity at the Climate Ambition Summit 2023 New York, 20 September 2023

Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies.

I thank you, Mr. Secretary-General, for turning me the floor.

Let me first respond to you as the LDC Bureau Chair, highlighting some important issues from my full statement submitted for records.

As the most vulnerable countries, LDCs have been bearing the brunt of climate change, despite accounting for only 3.3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

For LDCs to tackle climate crisis:

  • First, we call for effective implementation of Doha Program backed with adequate resources and technology, as it comprehensively addresses climate change, environmental degradation, and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, putting resilience and risk-informed development at the core.

I thank you for prioritizing LDCs in the Early Warnings Initiative.

  • Second, I join your call to double adaptation finance by 2025 and urge for devoting half of climate finance to adaptation.
  • Third, we urge for the fulfilment of 100 billion climate finance commitment, replenishment of Green Climate Fund, and operationalization of loss and damage fund, with simple and easy access procedures for the LDCs.
  • Fourth, we commend your initiatives and efforts for a just transition, urging for enhanced support and investment to meet SDG-7 in LDCs, as 48% their population lack access to electricity.
  • And fifth, the Global Stock-take during COP 28 must be a moment of critical course correction to keep alive 1.5-degree target.

Now, let me turn to my national capacity.

We are a highly vulnerable country with our economy heavily reliant on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, tourism and hydropower.

We are facing frequent and highly damaging climate disasters.

Despite challenges, Nepal is committed to the Paris Agreement and to our national goal to reach net-zero by 2045.

To this end, we have already submitted an updated NDC and aligned our national policies and plans with it.

Recently, my government has approved a detailed NDC Implementation Strategy to achieve various targets across sectors.

Let me share some critical progress:

  • In 2020, we set a target to maintain 45% of our territory under forest cover by 2030. We have already achieved this target with our forest coverage now standing just over 45%.
  • Against our target of clean energy generation from 1400 Mega Watts to 15,000 Mega Watts by 2030, we have already reached nearly 3,000 Mega Watts, and with ongoing hydro and solar projects, we are well on track to achieve the target.
  • Our efforts to promote electric vehicles are progressing well. Recently we have added over 50 charging stations, and we are installing an additional 500 charging stations shortly mostly for public vehicles.
  • We pursue locally led adaptation approach and involve local communities, indigenous people, women, and young people in climate actions. Our top priorities include promoting a green and resilient economy.
  • We are pleased to be part of your Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator and Early Warnings Initiatives and assure my government’s full support and commitment to them.

To conclude, let us ensure that this Summit and COP28 become true turning points in our fight against climate crisis.

Thank you for your attention.