Tuesday, 15 December 2009

The chair of the 49 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group within United Nations System in Geneva, Switzerland, was formally transferred to Nepal on Monday amidst a ceremony organized by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Pursuant to the decision taken at the Ministerial level in New York in September, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations and Other International Organizations Dinesh Bhattarai formally took charge of the chair of the group from Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Bangladesh Abdul Hannan in Geneva.

Geneva is the headquarters of several UN Agencies including United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Labour Organisation (ILO), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and other important multilateral agencies such as World Trade Organisation (WTO). Geneva is also the seat of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Dr Bhattarai said that as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) were the weakest and poorest members of the international community, they need to work in close coordination and cooperation in collectively advocating and advancing the LDCs agenda and projecting common positions in international forums.

He also underlined the need for enhanced level of support for LDCs for capacity building, institution building, and productive capacity enhancement in the context of the ongoing economic and financial crises and shocks of climate change that have hit them hard and compounded their vulnerabilities.

He assured the group that Nepal in its capacity as the chair will work proactively in all meetings and conferences in close coordination and cooperation with fellow LDCs to advance common agenda, project common positions, and push for the early implementation of the commitments made.

Ambassador Bhattarai underlined the need for a thorough preparation for the successful conclusion of the 4th UN LDCs Conference to be held in Turkey in 2011. He sought the active engagement of the UN agencies in the preparation, development partners and all stakeholders in the process, including the G 77 and China to advance the cause of LDCs.

He also informed the LDCs ambassadors and UN officials present on the occasion about the initiatives Nepal has taken to highlight the disproportionate impact of climate change on the LDCs. He said that whether it is the melting of Himalayan glaciers or rising of sea levels, shrinking forests, droughts or flash floods, climate change is adversely impacting on human life, social and economic development, bio-diversity, and tourism development.

He also drew the attention of the group to the cabinet meeting held on December 4, 2009 at an altitude of 5,542 meters above the sea level at the Mount Everest Base Camp, and the release of the 10 point Mount Everest Declaration by the Prime Minister of Nepal to draw the adverse impact of climate change in the Himalayan region. Some 1.3 billion people in Asia depend on water from glaciers in the Himalayas.

Source: nepalnews.com (15 December 2009)