Prime Minister Shah Meets UN Secretary-General Guterres

New York, September 24: Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shah, who arrived in New York to participate in the high-level week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, met Secretary-General Guterres at the UN Headquarters at 6:30 p.m. local time, before addressing the General Assembly. The meeting took place at around 4:15 a.m. Nepal time on Friday.

Secretary-General Guterres expressed his deep condolences over the loss of life and property caused by the Bhotekoshi disaster and said that the United Nations stands in solidarity with Nepal on climate-related issues. He also praised the young Nepali delegation. Recalling that he had visited Nepal as a tourist in 1978, Guterres said he would continue to support Nepal even after leaving office.

Prime Minister Shah thanked Guterres for his goodwill toward Nepal and congratulated him on his successful tenure. He said Nepal had suffered significant losses from the Bhotekoshi disaster and warned that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods remains high.

The meeting also covered the relocation of riverside residents and green reconstruction. Discussions were also held on seeking support for an extension of Nepal’s transition period after graduating from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category.