UN Chief urges urgent global action on climate crisis at Sagarmatha Sambaad
Warning of accelerated glacial melt and its devastating impacts, the Secretary-General António Guterres commends Nepal's climate initiatives while demanding urgent international response
PC: Screenshot from his video message
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday delivered a message of solidarity and urgency at the first-ever Sagarmatha Sambaad, calling on global leaders to take immediate action to combat climate change, which is disproportionately impacting vulnerable countries like Nepal.
Addressing the summit via a video message to the gathering, the UN chief praised Nepal’s natural beauty and its symbolic significance in inspiring global unity and dialogue. However, his message quickly shifted to a dire warning about the rapid melting of Nepal’s glaciers.
“Nepal today is on thin ice, losing close to one-third of its glacier mass in just over 30 years. Even more alarming, your glaciers have melted 65 percent faster in the last decade compared to the previous one,” he said, emphasizing that countries like Nepal, which have contributed the least to climate change, are suffering the most.
The Secretary-General highlighted the cascading impacts of glacial melt, including the threat to major Himalayan rivers like the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, which could experience significantly reduced flows. This could lead to severe water shortages, saltwater intrusion in deltas, and massive displacement of populations.
“Millions of people could be on the move, with fierce competition for water and land, while floods, droughts, and landslides accelerate worldwide,” Guterres warned.
The UN chief also commended Nepal’s leadership in climate action, citing its Local Adaptation Plan of Action, United Nations Early Warning Systems for All initiative, and its commitment to achieving climate goals by 2045.
He urged developed nations to honor their climate finance commitments, including the $1.3 trillion climate finance target agreed at COP29, and to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion this year.
“This is a global challenge that demands bold cooperation across nations and sectors. The United Nations is your ally in this essential task,” Guterres concluded, calling for collective actions to keep the 1.5°C target within reach and to support the world’s most vulnerable communities.
