K P Sharma Oli, The then Prime Minister

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

As a Himalayan country, glacial melting is one of the major challenges of Nepal.

When I was child, I used to see white mountains standing in front of my hometown.

As my hair turns grey, the white mountains are turning into black rocks.

Sometimes, I think, what mistake we made that caused this.

But we have not done any mistake, we are just bearing the consequences of others.

Our people still live in harmony with nature.

Our carbon emission is negligible.

But we are hugely impacted by climate change.

We are being one of the major victims of this.

Our white Himalayas are converting into black rocks?

Excellencies,

Himalayas are not only a source of water, lives and livelihoods of billions of people downstream.

It is our identity.

It is our national pride.

It is our present and it is our future.

Not only so, Himalayas and Oceans are interlinked, and they recharge each other.

Himalayas are cooling centers of the planet earth.

But unfortunately, this is vanishing.

The issue of glacial melt is not just an environmental concern for countries like Nepal; it is a constant threat, striking at the heart of our development, security, and survival.

Nepal has already been victim of devastation of glacial lake outburst floods. Recently on 8 of July, in a clear day, glacial lake outburst caused catastrophic floods in Lende River in Rasuwa district which swept away connecting bridge between Nepal and China. The flood caused death tolls of about 20 people and damaged huge infrastructure.

Such climate-induced disasters are occurring time and again and we are afraid that this may increase in the days to come.

Nepal is home to over 2,070 glacial lakes, 21 of which have been identified as potentially dangerous[1]. The risk they pose to downstream communities, infrastructure and ecosystems is growing.

Our agriculture, hydropower, tourism, and biodiversity– all climate-sensitive sectors–are increasingly at risk.

These threats extend beyond our national boundaries. What happens in our mountains has cascading effects across borders, regions, and generations.

Excellencies,

Scientific projections are deeply troubling.

Under the current emissions trajectories, the Himalayan region may lose up to two-thirds of its glacier volume by the end of this century.

Even if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C, a one-third reduction remains likely.

Rivers born in the Himalayas—the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus and Mekong, among others, —are lifelines for billions. As glaciers recede, these river systems will dry up, threatening water availability, agriculture, and energy security.

Excellencies,

The melting of our glaciers is not simply a loss of ice—it is a loss of lives, livelihoods, heritage, and hope.

The cry of the glaciers is not silent. It is loud, and urgent.

It is a plea not just for action, but for justice.

We need to answer many big questions:

How global community can work together to save the Himalayas?

How development partners and climate finance institutions can contribute to save the lives and livelihoods of the people living downstream?

How R&D can be instrumental in mitigating the risk and adapting to the new reality?

How LLDCs, which are more vulnerable, can fulfill the resource, capacity and technology gap?

How South-South and Triangular cooperation can be fostered in this regard?

Excellencies,

But, I have hope.

And, I am confident that we can save our Himalayas with concrete and concerted actions.

We can, at least, reduce the speed of glacial melting.

Let us work together.

Nepal stands ready—to act, to partner, and to lead—so that the voices of the Himalayas does not fade beneath melting ice, but rises to inspire global climate justice.

Thank you.

[Statement by the then Rt. Hon Mr. K P Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, at Side Event Entitled “Glacial Melt and Beyond: Unraveling the Climate Challenges Impacting LLDCs”. The Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries; 7 August 2025, Awaza Conference Center, Turkmenistan]

“Glacial Melt and Beyond: Unravelling the Climate Challenges Impacting LLDCs”

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