KATHMANDU, Monday, August 18, 2025 (WNP): Nepalese President Ramchandra Poudel on Monday urged policymakers across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region to adopt science-based, people-centered, and implementable policies to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution—challenges he described as the “harsh reality of daily life.”
Speaking as chief guest at the Hindu Kush Himalaya Parliamentarians’ Meet 2025, President Poudel stressed the need for parliaments to strengthen legal frameworks by setting climate-friendly development standards, enforcing air pollution regulations, and enacting robust provisions for biodiversity conservation. He also underlined the role of legislatures in ensuring accountability, transparency of resources, and effective monitoring of climate programs.
“This meeting is a historic opportunity to chart a roadmap for our common and sustainable future,” Poudel said. “The waters from our mountains, the oxygen from our forests, and the fertility of our lands sustain more than two billion people. Yet, this very foundation of livelihood is now under threat.”
Warning that the Hindu Kush Himalayan region is warming faster than the global average, he noted the accelerated melting of glaciers has triggered devastating floods and landslides. Biodiversity loss, he added, threatens food security, cultural heritage, and increases the risk of species extinction with serious economic consequences.
Despite the challenges, Poudel commended regional initiatives such as cross-border hydropower cooperation, solar energy promotion, community-led forest conservation, early warning systems for climate disasters, and biodiversity protection through expanded national parks and modern wildlife monitoring. He also praised efforts to improve air quality, including reforms in public transport, electric vehicle promotion, and regulation of industrial emissions.
Other speakers at the opening session included Nepal’s Speaker of the House of Representatives Dev Raj Ghimire, Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Forests and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, Bangladesh’s adviser on Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Supradip Chakma, and Chairperson of Nepal’s Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources Committee Kusum Devi Thapa.
Parliamentarians from across HKH countries pledged stronger collaboration for a sustainable and resilient mountain future, with President Poudel emphasizing that fulfilling the Paris Agreement commitments, particularly limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, remains imperative.
