Civil society' role spectacular for Nepal's development: Foreign Minister Rana

Kathmandu, Sept 3: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba has lauded the role of the civil society for overall development of the country.     

In her address to a workshop 'Nepal Civil Society Conference for the Summit of the Future' organized in Lalitpur today, she said the civil society has a significant role for the transformation of the Nepali society through socio-economic development.     

Minister Rana said Nepal has accorded importance to the 'Summit of the Future' to be held along with the upcoming United Nations General Assembly and preparations are underway for the participation of the Prime Minister of Nepal in the summit.     

She also clarified that Nepal stands for global good governance, promotion of multilateralism and international solidarity. Noting Nepal was preparing to graduate to the status of developing country from the Least Developed Country (LDC Status) by 2026 and a Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) has been formulated for this, Minister Rana said the role of civil society was also important in making the plan for LDC graduation irreversible and sustainable.     

"A report released last month has shown that 41 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nepal are on the way to completion," she said.     

Minister Rana expressed Nepal's firm commitment to multilateralism, rule of law, democracy, inclusive and equitable international system. She also stressed the need for civil society to advocate more on the issue of reducing the risk of climate change at national and international forums.     

"The problem of climate change in Nepal has already started causing natural disasters. As the recent glacial lake burst in Solukhumbu is also related to this, Nepal should learn from these accidents in the coming days and work towards reducing the risk," the minister added. (RSS)