Finance Minister, UN Assistant Secretary-General meet

KATHMANDU: UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kanni Wignaraja, held a meeting with Finance Minister Barshaman Punat the Ministry of Finance in Singhadurbar, Kathmandu, on Thursday.

Wignaraja, who had arrived in Nepal to attend a meeting of UN resident coordinators from 35 countries in the Asia Pacific region, discussed the UNDP’s work in Nepal’s rural areas, specifically in the sectors of healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation. She also highlighted that the Global Green Climate Fund programme would be implemented in Nepal, acknowledging the significant impact of climate change on the country.

On behalf of the UNDP, the Resident Representative for Nepal, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé, shared that her team had visited the Solukhumbu region and inspected Imja Lake. With the financial and technical support of the UNDP, the risk of the lake bursting was mitigated by removing the frozen snow in Imja Lake. The UNDP also reduced the risk of Tsho Rolpa, Nepal’s largest glacial lake in the northern part of Dolakha’s Rolwaling Valley, bursting. According to the UNDP, there are future plans to reduce the risk of three lakes in the Sunkoshi Basin and a lake in the Gandaki Basin, which are at similar risk.

During the meeting, Medagangoda-Labé stated that the UNDP is working in the fields of health, education, and poverty alleviation in rural parts of Nepal. She mentioned that during her visit, she learned about the problems Nepal faces due to climate change and stated that the ‘Global Green Climate Fund’ programme will be implemented in Nepal.

On this occasion, Minister Pun expressed his pleasure regarding the agreement between the UNDP and ICIMOD to work in the areas of climate change. He also appreciated the cooperation between Nepal and the UNDP in the areas of Nepal’s socioeconomic development.