Shah addresses climate risks and planning at the UN General Assembly

Prime Minister Balendra Shah travelled to New York to address the UN General Assembly, delivering remarks concerning the environmental vulnerabilities confronting the nation. The address highlighted that climate risks require serious attention from international bodies and national institutions alike, pointing out that environmental disruptions present ongoing dangers to communities and infrastructure across the region. According to governmental evaluations cited in the address, recovery and reconstruction expenses have reached Rs723.31 billion. The official Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment figures indicate that a significant portion of these mounting costs could have been avoided through better infrastructural designs, comprehensive early-warning systems, structured contingency planning, and regular evacuation exercises rather than relying solely on post-disaster interventions. The intervention emphasised that environmental disruptions cannot serve as a convenient justification for inadequate governance and poor developmental planning. Officials noted that institutional shortcomings compounded the severity of recent disasters, urging authorities to implement resilient standards to protect public investments and vulnerable populations from future climate-induced emergencies.