Turkmenistan, August 6— Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has addressed the global community, urging fair and decisive action in response to Nepal’s escalating climate crisis caused by glacial melt.

Speaking at a side event focused on the Glacial Melt and Beyond: Unraveling the Climate Challenges Impacting LLDCs, Prime Minister Oli highlighted the severe consequences faced by nations like Nepal due to melting glaciers.

The address took place on the final day of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, where Prime Minister Oli delivered a heartfelt message.

He said, “When I was young, I could see the white Himalayas from my village. Now, as my hair turns white, those mountains are turning into black rocks. We are suffering the consequences of actions we did not commit.”

Concluding his speech, he added, “I still have hope. We can save the Himalayas. At the very least, we can slow down the rate of melting. Nepal is ready to partner and take action.”

Despite Nepal’s negligible carbon emissions, the prime minister emphasized that the country is disproportionately affected by climate change. Melting glaciers threaten water resources, livelihoods, agriculture, tourism, hydropower, and biodiversity.

As a stark example, he cited the glacial lake outburst in Lende Khola, Rasuwa on July 7, 2025 (Nepali date: 2082 Asar 23), which swept away a bridge connecting Nepal and China and claimed 20 lives.

Prime Minister’s Five 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?