COP-29: President Paudel scheduled to attend

By Bhishma Raj Ojha, Kathmandu, Oct 24: The government has decided to secure a high level attendance in annual global climate change event, COP-29.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is holding the 29th edition of the conference of parties in Baku, capital city of Azerbaijan this time.     

President Ram Chandra Paudel is scheduled to attend the COP-29 convening from November 11 to 22, according to Minister for Forest and Environment, Aina Bahadur Shahi Thakuri. "Nepal will have a high level and effective participation at COP-29 under the leadership of President Paudel," he shared at a press meet organized at ministry on Thursday.     

The high level representation of the government shows how importantly the government has taken this event, he said, adding that it will also have significance in decision making and implementation.     

Minister Thakuri further informed that preparations at different levels were made- infrastructures, committee and national guideline.     

The government is taking part in the global event along with the agenda of mountain in biodiversity convention, disaster management and climate finance. For all this preparation, the ministry has been assigned as an official focal agency for Climate Adaptation Fund.     

According to the Minister, the ministry had initiated various policy and structural reform to increase people's income with the resource mobilization of the ministry. The ministry also shared its performance in the last 100 days of the government.     

He argued that during this period eight policy and legal documents were prepared by the ministry, which the Minister said, had long term significance. It will help make a stride in Nepal's forest, biodiversity and environment sector.     

A national forest strategic plan and standard of sustainable forest management were prepared by the ministry.     

At the programme, Ministry Secretary Dr Dipak Kumar Kharal also informed that a plan was approved to ensure 80 percent sharing of dividend from carbon trade to the community. The law was amended to ensure private sectors' involvement in carbon trade, he added.     

A policy was in place to mobilize the forest development fund where Rs 65.9 million was collected.     

The ministry also shared other progress like launch of project on climate resilience for management of natural resources; implementation action plan with the receipt of Rs 1.60 billion from carbon trade in 13 Tarai district forests; facilitation to 20 projects environmental study; increase of forest cover from 45.31 in 2019 to 46.08 at present; removal of obstruction created by trees and logging along the Kathmandu-Tarai fast track; registration of proposal at parliament on the Kigali amendment for Montreal Protocol to facilitate the enforcement of international convention relating to forest and environment; preparation of a national concept paper for the Biodiversity Convention, and expansion of medicinal herbs in Siraha, among others.(RSS)