Nepal-Australia sign Water resource management cooperation agreement

Nepal and Australia today signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Water Resource Management.

The MoU has been signed during the second bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) between the Australia Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Government of Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) held today in Canberra of Australia.

DFAT secretary Jan Adams AO PSM, and the secretary of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Dinesh Kumar Ghimire signed the five-year memorandum on behalf of their respective countries.

Under the MoU, Australia will provide training, technical assistance and share internationally recognised expertise on water governance. It will complement’s Australia’s existing partnership with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to strengthen transboundary river basin management, localise climate action and promote green livelihoods, aligned to Government of Nepal’s transition to Green, Resilient and inclusive Development (GRID) for sustainable recovery, growth and jobs.   

The BCM was co-chaired by DFAT’s deputy secretary of Geostrategic Group Justin Hayhurst and secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bharat Raj Paudyal.

DFAT’s deputy secretary Hayhurst was pleased to open the second meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism and thanked secretary Paudyal and the Nepal delegation for travelling to Australia. During his opening remarks deputy secretary Hayhurst welcomed Australia and Nepal’s strong people-to-people links with over 120,000 Nepali calling Australia home. He also congratulated Nepal on its recent democratic local elections and reiterated the two countries’ strong commitment to democracy, domestically and internationally. “Australia supports a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific and the international rules-based order,” he said, welcoming  Nepal’s strategic outlook. 

Both sides, on the occasion, also noted mutual climate change and energy challenges and the importance of achieving net-zero emissions. In addition to talks on Nepal’s development priorities and future cooperation agenda, Australia undertook to share its expertise in forest fire management, and search as rescue initiatives through a new package of development support. 

The Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was established in 2017 between the Australia Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Government of Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two sides also reviewed the bilateral relations between Nepal and Australia and exchanged views on further strengthening the bilateral relations and cooperation in different fields including education, energy, investment, trade, tourism, technology transfer, migration, cooperation in climate action, and disaster risk reduction, among others. Both sides agreed to prioritise the exchange of high-level visits, promote people to people contacts, and facilitate trade, investment and transfer of technology. They also discussed cooperation in multilateral forums, including the exchange of experiences in UN Peace keeping operations.

While appreciating Australian cooperation to Nepal, foreign secretary Paudyal requested the Australian side to place Nepal as a priority country for Australian aid, support for post-Covid economic recovery, graduation from the LDC status, and realize the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SDG), and consider issuing visa services from the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Bilateral Consultation Mechanism between Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia was established on 14 July, 2017 and its first meeting was held in Kathmandu on 16 August 2018.

Nepal-UK conclude fifth Bilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting

 Nepal and UK today concluded the fifth Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM).

The fifth meeting of Nepal-United Kingdom Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) concluded today by discussing a wide range of matters relating to bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest, according to a press note issued by the Foreign Ministry. “The meeting took stock of overall state of cooperation between Nepal and the United Kingdom ata cordial and participatory atmosphere.”

The delegations of both the governments exchanged views on over two centuries-old friendship and cooperation, and reviewed the progress made in various aspects of the bilateral ties, including development cooperation, the British Gurkha matters, cultural relations, people-to-people contactsand educational cooperation, the press note reads, adding that developments on political and economic fronts in both the countries as well as their national experiences in fight against the Covid-19 pandemic were also shared during the meeting. “In the context, Nepal thanked the British government for its cooperation in Nepal’s fight against the pandemic, while appreciating the progress made in the development of vaccine.”

The two sides also agreed to work closely towards further consolidating and widening cooperation and engagements in productive sectors such as trade, investment, energy and tourism, among others, the press note further reads. “Matters of regional and global importance also figured in the meeting.”

The two governments renewed their commitment to collaborating on various matters of common interest at multilateral forums. Both sides will work together to advance the agenda of addressing the impacts of climate change with their substantive engagements in the COP26 as well as in Sagarmatha Sambaad, a Nepali initiative for dialogue.

The Foreign Ministry – the convener of the Nepali side – was joined by senior officials of the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and relevant line ministries, the press note reads, adding that the British delegation was led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. “The ambassador of Nepal to the UK and the British ambassador to Nepal were also part of their respective country delegations.”

Nepal, Denmark held bilateral consultation mechanism meeting

 The second meeting of Nepal-Denmark Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) is held through video conferencing today.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting dwelt on matters relating to bilateral relations and cooperation at the regional and multilateral levels between Nepal and Denmark.

“The two sides exchanged views on recent developments in both the countries,” a press note reads, adding that both the countries stressed the importance of the exchange of high-level visits, while encouraging economic partnerships including in trade, investment, technology transfer, renewable energy and tourism sectors. “The two sides will continue to enhance cooperation in culture, education and people to people contacts.”

Both sides underscored the importance of cooperation on matters of common interest such as climate change, the press note reads. “During the meeting, they also shared views on the challenges posed by Covid-19 and on the measures adopted by the two governments to mitigate them.”

Joint Secretary of Europe and the Americas Division at the Foreign Ministry Nirmal Raj Kafle and director for Asia, Latin America and Oceania at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Thomas Lehmann led their respective delegations to the meeting. “Ambassador of Nepal to Denmark Yuba Nath Lamsal also took part in the meeting from the Nepali side.”