Nepal faces disproportionate impacts of climate change

Nepal – as a country in the climate change hotspot – faces disproportionate impacts of climate change despite its negligible emissions, according to higher official.
Addressing 2019 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development – in the morning in a discussion on Goal 13 –Climate Action – convened under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today in New York, National Planning Commission (NPC) vice chair Prof Dr Puspa Raj Kadel said that Nepal has decided to convene ‘Sagarmatha Dialogue’ as an annual global forum to exchange views on pressing global issues, including climate change.
Making a reference to the recent report of ICIMOD that highlights impacts of climate change in the mountains, he stressed that there was urgent need for climate action.
The forum that began on July 9 in New York, witnessed different sessions.
 In the evening today, the vice chair also spoke in an event, ‘Taking Stock of Effectiveness Principles at Country Level’, organised jointly by Nepal and Bangladesh to showcase country-level realities of the Asia-Pacific region. The event was organised on the eve of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation’s Senior Level Meeting (GPEDC-SLM) in New York yesterday and today. The vice chair highlighted the huge financing gap in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the role of development effectiveness.
Nepal also shared its efforts in reducing inequalities and called for fulfilling the commitments to reduce inequalities within and among countries in an HLPF plenary meeting held here yesterday. On the occasion, Nepal highlighted the need to apply ‘whole of society’ approach in achieving all the 10 targets of Goal 10.
Earlier, Nepal also spoke in an HLPF discussion on LDCs and LLDCs and underlined the need for ‘smooth transition’ and ‘sustainable graduation’ as well as addressing particular vulnerabilities facing the countries like Nepal. Later today – during the discussion on Goal 16 – Nepal also shared its nationally driven and owned peace process and underlined the importance of negotiations and dialogue to resolve conflicts and build inclusive societies. Nepal will deliver its national statement during the ministerial segment that begins July 16. The HLPF this year will conclude on July 18.
The HLPF is the central platform of the United Nations (UN) for providing political leadership, guidance and recommendations for the implementation and follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. The Forum is reviewing progress towards achieving SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13 and 16 in addition to the annual review of SDG17. This is the fourth HLPF after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015.
This year's HLPF, including the High-Level/Ministerial Segment on July 16-18, is being organised from July 9 to 18, under the theme of ‘Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’. A separate high-level segment of ECOSOC follows the HLPF on July 19. This year too, 47 member states are presenting their VNRs. Nepal presented its VNR during the 2017 HLPF. As this year marks the completion of the first four-year cycle of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a separate HLPF, under the auspices of the General Assembly will be organised on September 24 and 25, which is also called SDG Summit. The SDG Summit will also adopt an inter-governmentally agreed outcome document.

ECOSOC forum calls for multilateral trading system reform

The 2019 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) financing for development forum opened yesterday where the participants called for efforts to reform the multilateral trading system. Many of the attendees' speeches started with stating economic risks and tensions which the world currently faces.
ECOSOC president Inga Rhonda King said that "debt levels have risen, as has a vulnerability, stifling investment in developing countries, trade tensions meanwhile are dampening economic growth."
In his remarks, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres spotlighted the threats posed by heightened global trade tensions, possible economic challenges and rising greenhouse, gas emissions.
UN General Assembly president Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces said that the economic climate has worsened, which is among the most pressing global challenges. "Financial markets are volatile: 30 developing countries are at risk or facing financial difficulties, while trade imbalances have increased over the last year," she added.
The global expansion seen in recent years continues, but at a slower pace than previously anticipated, said deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Zhang Tao also calling for efforts to produce stronger medium-term growth.
In order to address these challenges, multiple approaches, particularly those regarding trade system, have been suggested by the participants.
The multilateral trading system must be bolstered, with a focus on ensuring that capacity-building and technology transfer are carried out, the UNGA president said adding that developing countries must be prioritised.
Noting that there is time to close finance gaps, the UNGA president pressed countries that made official development assistance commitments to keep them.
"No issue looms larger than trade," Zhang said, calling for efforts to reform the multilateral trading system and to reduce tensions.
He also called for an urgent redesign of global taxation efforts, noting that the current situation of widespread tax evasion is especially harmful to developing countries. In addition, some 40 percent of those countries find themselves in a situation of debt distress, requiring more sustainable financing practices.
Chef de Cabinet and principal advisor to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Tim Yeend emphasised the important role of trade in generating the resources needed to finance the 2030 Agenda. He said that there is ample evidence of the importance of trade in helping countries harness growth for development, notably in supporting job creation, raising per capita income and reducing poverty.
The integration of developing countries into the multilateral trade system, by providing access to new technologies and investments, has catalysed a 'take-off', he stressed, noting the importance of ensuring that such gains are not undone by today's challenges, which are among the most complex in a generation.
Until tensions among the largest countries are resolved, economic uncertainty will likely persist, Yeend said, adding that there is the potential for improving the global trade forecast, but it depends on reducing tensions and focusing on charting a positive path forward for trade.

Ban hails Nepal's plan to graduate from LDC by 2022

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has appreciated Nepal for its vision to graduate from the status of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) by 2022 to developing countries.
During his meeting with foreign minister Madhav Prasad Ghimire at the United Nations Office at ECOSOC meeting in Geneva today, Ban also praised Nepal’s role in highlighting the concerns and difficulties faced by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in multilateral forums.
He also appreciated the progress made by Nepal toward meeting most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Ghimire, on the occasion, underlined the need for giving due recognition to the special needs and difficulties of the LDCs in implementing the post 2015 development agenda.
According to a press release issued by Nepal’s Permanent Mission to UN and Other International Organisations in Geneva, Ban also pledged UN’s full support to Nepal’s political process.
They also discussed on wider cooperation for the development of Lumbini and the role of Official Development Assistance (ODA) as its recent trend of decrease might negatively impact the achievement of key goals and objectives outlined in the Istanbul Programme of Action.

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