Nepal’s push for Himalayan climate agenda falls short at COP31

While some countries explicitly supported the proposal raised on Monday, others remained reluctant, Khanal said, highlighting the diplomatic challenges of building consensus on mountain-related climate concerns within the UN climate negotiation process. Nepal, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan had pushed for mountain and climate change to be included as a separate agenda item at COP31.

Nepal and Bhutan jointly submitted a proposal titled “1.5°C Warming in Mountains”, while Kyrgyzstan sought to institutionalise an annual dialogue on mountains and climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Neither proposal secured a separate formal agenda item.

The setback came despite Nepal’s efforts to build a broader coalition of mountain countries and bring the rapidly worsening climate vulnerabilities of the Hindu Kush Himalaya into mainstream international climate negotiations. However, the failure to secure a separate agenda item does not mean the issue has been dropped altogether.