Nepal's president, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, greets during the oath of office ceremony at the President ... [+]
Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had a message at the Reykjavik Global Women Forum for world leaders convened more than 3,000 miles away in Egypt at COP27: Take responsibility for your role in climate change.
The president of the landlocked country of 28.6 million used her platform in Iceland, where she received a trailblazer award, to talk about climate change and women in leadership.
“The melting of the snow in the Himalayas, the rise of the sea level for the other small island countries, that has been a very important, very serious problem. And it is a [result] of the climate crisis,” she said in an interview.
The glaciers of the Himalayas, which pass through Nepal, are melting at an “exceptional” rate compared to other regions of the world, according to a recent study in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports. The Himalayas are warming faster than the global average, especially in the parts in Eastern Nepal and Bhutan, causing glaciers to shrink, snowlines to recede, and increasing the danger of floods when expanding glacial lakes burst. “The offenses that we have not committed are punishing us,” she added.
For President Bandhari, like many other leaders from developing countries, rich nations should compensate poorer ones for climate change-fueled disasters they had little role in causing.
“This also is our message to Cairo,” Bhandari said. “And there have also been the issues of loss and damages and that's why it is a really critical time to act. Nepal in all global forums related to climate change has been speaking for this and has been at the forefront of ratification.”
In 2021, Nepal was affected by two natural disasters which can be attributed to climate change, according to the World Bank – heavy rains, floods, and landslides. “Nepal is not a carbon-emitting country,” Bandhari said, adding that more needs to be done for countries like Nepal (as of 2018, Nepal ranked 109th in the world when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions).
The issue of loss and damages funding is currently at the heart of negotiations at the COP27 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. Pakistan, as the current chair of the G-77 is leading the charge on loss and damages at COP77 - and has so far successfully brought the issue on the agenda.
A resident wades through a flooded street after Bagmati river overflowed following heavy monsoon ... [+]
On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Egypt “the most effective way to rebuild trust is by finding an ambitious and credible agreement on loss and damage and financial support to developing countries.”
The climate conference ends on Friday and negotiations are ongoing.
First Woman President
Bidhya Devi Bhandari was in Iceland on Oct. 9 to receive a trailblazer award at the Reykjavik Global Forum. Bhandari is the first woman to lead the young country, as she is also Nepal’s second president since the country was declared a republic in 2008. She was first elected in 2015.
“I am the first woman leading the state today, but I'm not the only one,” Bhandari said, adding that Nepal has been working hard to have more women involved in politics at the local and national levels.
“It took us and it took generations struggle for generations to achieve them.’’
Nepal’s constitution, which was adopted the year she was elected, ensures a third of the seat in the parliament are allocated to women. Similarly, at the local level, women occupy 41% of political positions across the country.
“I'm the head of state but I'm not alone in this,” she said. “There has been a huge batch of women who have actually assumed leadership roles through the election.”
