Minister Khanal urges media to sensitively disseminate news on COP31

Antalya (Turkiye): Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, has urged the media to disseminate news on the ongoing COP31 after garnering proper information on the event. He reminded that it is essential to know about the process of COP before writing news. “It is not good to make news stories depicting a grim picture while COP31 has just begun.

“News reporting should not be made in a way that suggests there has been no achievement at all, because news reporting requires clear understanding about the COP process, its objectivity and associated scenario,” Minister Khanal reminded.

Minister Khanal, who is leading the Nepali delegation to the COP31, said this while talking to RSS correspondent Bhishma Raj Ojha on the COP process and Nepal’s initiatives and engagement here today.

In a question relating to Nepal’s presence at COP31, Minister Khanal, however, admitted that the UN process requires consensus, which usually takes time to reach agreement. “In view of the UN process and reality, the issues Nepal has raised are receiving a positive response,” he claimed.

Minister Khanal further hoped that if any decision is made on the need for research on mountains in terms of increasing temperature, climate finance and issues of dedicated mountain dialogue, it would be a huge achievement for this year.

According to him, there are three major issues with climate finance.

First, sufficient financial resources have not been secured as per promise of the international community. Second, the amount pledged is not adequate to meet the growing needs of the climate crisis. So, LDCs, including Nepal, have been demanding an increase in climate finance by at least three times. The third is the process of mobilising climate finance.

However, the process is very long, complex and cumbersome. The process of mobilising climate finance must be simple and predictable, he underscored.

Minister Khanal also shared information that Nepal and Bhutan proposed the incorporation of the mountain agenda in the formal agenda of COP. Later, Kyrgyzstan joined the agenda.

During the negotiations, all three countries have come together to move the mountain agenda forward. “However, the proposal has not been fully included as a new agenda. The organisers of COP and the chairmanship of the negotiation process have assured us of their cooperation for the next two weeks. Although not included in the formal agenda, discussions are underway to recognise the main issues we raised and include them in the final decisions of COP,” Khanal informed.

RSS