Nepal PM urges climate justice after ‘Himalayan tsunami’ devastated country

Addressing a general debate at the 81st session of the Assembly, Shah said the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster four weeks earlier in northern Nepal had hit mountain communities with a ferocity that was described as a “Himalayan Tsunami”.

More than 6,000 people are still missing and damage is estimated at around 10 percent of Nepal’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster is not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world,” he said. “And I ask you today: did we really hear those warnings?”

Climate justice

Shah said climate warming is destabilizing the Himalayan ecosystem, with melting ice sheets contributing to the instability of mountain slopes and increasing the risk of avalanches, floods and landslides.

The destruction, he added, extended across Nepal’s border with China and downstream into India.

“Climate change knows no national borders. Glaciers and floods cannot happen if a visa is stamped in the passport.”

Nepal accounts for less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, he said, but repeated disasters destroy infrastructure and livelihoods and force the country to borrow money to rebuild.

“Climate Justice cannot just be a fancy phrase in a UN document,” he said.

The Prime Minister proposed a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism led by Nepal, India and China to share satellite data and expertise, monitor dangerous glacial lakes, strengthen early warning systems and coordinate cross-border disaster relief.

He also called for greater grant-based climate finance, arguing that the Loss and Damage Fund, the Global Environmental Facility and other mechanisms remain “woefully inadequate”.

“If the house burns down, we don’t ask the family to fill out fifty forms. We act,” he said.

Broken logistics for food

In his broader speech, Shah argued that climate vulnerability exposed deeper gaps in the international system, with poorer countries facing disruption caused by conflict and decision-making beyond their control.

He compared the shortage of fertilizer, fuel and road-building materials in Nepal to the speed at which weapons are moving around the world.

“We have built a world with perfect war logistics and faulty food logistics,” he said.

Countries like Nepal also face similar hardships, he added: “hit by a climate we didn’t warm and hit again by a war we didn’t start.”

But Shah said the failure only strengthened Nepal’s commitment to multilateralism.

“This is why we continue to believe in multilateralism,” he said. “This is why we need a UN that can feel the presence of small, poor countries, and we can work together to achieve fair results.”

New generation

Shah also linked his international message to political change at home, saying Nepal had arrived at the General Assembly with a new democratic mandate that reflected the aspirations of a new generation.

“Our youth demand a politics of integrity and accountability,” he said. “This generational shift is not just a national story. It is part of a global awakening against conflict, inequality and lack of opportunity.”

Calling for investment in resilience, stronger infrastructure, early warning systems and reduced reliance on fossil fuels, Shah ended by issuing another warning from the Himalayas.

“And when the next warning comes from the rooftops of the world: Let us be ready to hear it, and ready to act.”