Foreign Minister Khanal meets UN Secretary-General Guterres on the sidelines of COP31

ANTALYA, Türkiye — Minister for Foreign Affairs Shishir Khanal held a bilateral meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) currently underway in Antalya, Türkiye.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Khanal expressed his sincere gratitude to the UN chief for extending condolences and solidarity to Nepal following the recent climate-induced Bhotekoshi floods. He also commended Guterres for his leadership at the United Nations and his continued contributions toward multilateralism, global peace, human dignity, and sustainable development.

In response, Secretary-General Guterres praised Nepal’s vital role in promoting global peace and stability as one of the leading troop- and police-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions.

The two leaders exchanged views on several shared priorities, including Nepal’s post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts, the need for reforms in the global governance system, multi-hazard early warning systems, increased climate finance, and accelerated climate action.

They also discussed pressing regional and global issues, emphasizing the need to strengthen international cooperation and multilateral frameworks to effectively tackle the growing challenges of climate change.