Press release on the participation of Hon. Prof. Dr. Puspa Raj Kadel, VC of the NPC in the 2019 High-Level Political Forum in New York

Press Release

Hon. Prof. Dr. Puspa Raj Kadel, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission of Nepal, participated in the 2019 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, convened under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) that began on 09 July 2019 in New York.

Speaking this morning in a discussion on Goal 13 –Climate Action, the Hon. Vice-Chairman said that Nepal, as a country in the climate change hotspot, faces disproportionate impacts of climate change despite its negligible emissions. He also said that the Government has decided to convene ‘Sagarmatha Dialogue’ as an annual global forum to exchange views on pressing global issues, including climate change. Making a reference to the recent report of ICIMOD, that highlights impacts of climate change in the mountains, he stressed that there was urgent need for climate action.

In the evening today, the Vice-Chairman also spoke in an event, “Taking Stock of Effectiveness Principles at Country Level” organized jointly by Nepal and Bangladesh to showcase country-level realities of the Asia-Pacific region. The event was organized on the eve of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation’s Senior Level Meeting (GPEDC SLM) in New York on 13/14 July 2019. The Vice-Chairman highlighted the huge financing gap in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the role of development effectiveness.

Nepal also shared its efforts in reducing inequalities and called for fulfilling the commitments to reduce inequalities within and among countries in an HLPF plenary meeting held here yesterday. On the occasion, Nepal highlighted the need to apply ‘whole of society’ approach in achieving all the 10 targets of Goal 10. Earlier, Nepal also spoke in an HLPF discussion on LDCs and LLDCs and underlined the need for ‘smooth transition’ and ‘sustainable graduation’ as well as addressing particular vulnerabilities facing the countries like Nepal. Later today during the discussion on Goal 16, Nepal also shared its nationally driven and owned peace process and underlined the importance of negotiations and dialogue to resolve conflicts and build inclusive societies.

Nepal will deliver its national statement during the ministerial segment that begins on 16 July 2019. The HLPF this year will conclude on 18 July 2019.

***

The HLPF is the central platform of the United Nations for providing political leadership, guidance and recommendations for the implementation and follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. The Forum is reviewing progress towards achieving SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13 and 16 in addition to the annual review of SDG17. This is the fourth HLPF after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015. This year’s HLPF, including the High-Level/Ministerial Segment from 16-18 July, is being organized from 09 to 18 July 2019 under the theme of “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. A separate high-level segment of ECOSOC follows the HLPF on 19 July 2019. This year too, 47 Member States are presenting their VNRs. Nepal presented its VNR during the 2017 HLPF. As this year marks the completion of the first four-year cycle of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a separate HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly will be organized on 24 and 25 September 2019, which is also called SDG Summit. The SDG Summit will also adopt an intergovernmentally agreed outcome document. More information is available at the following website: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org.


__________
New York,
12 July 2019