Nepal's PM Shah to spotlight climate crisis at UN General Assembly

KATHMANDU – Prime Minister Balendra Shah, 36, is set to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, bringing Nepal's deepening climate crisis to the world's attention. A June 2026 Pew Research Center analysis of leaders across 186 UN member states found that Shah is currently the youngest national leader and head of government in the world.

The speech will mark Shah's first overseas trip since taking office on March 27. He arrived in New York on Wednesday to lead the Nepali delegation, and is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his visit.

Bhotekoshi disaster adds urgency

Recent flash floods along the Bhotekoshi river have driven the prime minister to use the UN's highest platform to draw global attention to the disaster's toll on lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, hydropower and other socioeconomic sectors.

As of September 23, the death toll from the catastrophic floods had reached 1,452, while search teams were still looking for 4,718 missing people, including several hundred foreign nationals. The disaster devastated communities in Rasuwa and downstream areas.

Shah is scheduled to speak during the General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly on Thursday afternoon in New York, which falls after midnight on Friday in Nepal. According to the UN's published schedule, his slot begins at 3pm New York time.

Push for climate justice and finance

In his address, Shah is expected to outline the devastating consequences of the Bhotekoshi disaster and the growing vulnerability of Himalayan communities to climate-driven disasters. Nepal is expected to argue that countries which have contributed relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions should not be left to shoulder the financial and human costs of a crisis they did little to create.

Key points of Nepal's message are likely to include:

• Greater international support for disaster preparedness, climate resilience, reconstruction and rehabilitation
• Improved access to climate finance, technology and capacity-building support
• An effective loss-and-damage mechanism that helps vulnerable countries without deepening their debt burdens

Shah is also expected to stress the particular risks faced by mountain nations, where rising temperatures, melting glaciers, shifting precipitation patterns and other climate threats endanger lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

Delegation and schedule

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has been taking part in high-level meetings, side events and bilateral engagements in New York since September 20. He is part of Shah's delegation, alongside Chief Adviser Kumar Byanjankar, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and other senior officials.

The theme of this year's General Assembly is "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All." The General Debate runs from September 22 to 26, resuming on September 28.

Shah's appearance comes nearly six months after he took office. He is scheduled to return to Nepal on September 26.