‘Ask Bangladesh’

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has issued a sharp critique of a global system that he said moves weapons across borders more efficiently than food, fuel and fertiliser, naming Bangladesh and other South Asian countries among those bearing the fallout. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Shah contrasted the speed of military supply chains with the shortages faced by ordinary people in developing countries.

“Inter-continental missiles arrive on time. Rifles and ammunition cross borders, clear every bottleneck, meet each deadline," he said.

"But a peasant in Nepal cannot procure his fertiliser or fuel at market price at a time of need. We have built a world with flawless logistics for war and broken logistics for food."

Shah said Nepal was far from alone.

"And this is not Nepal's private misfortune. Ask Bangladesh. Ask Bhutan. Ask India. Ask the Maldives. Ask Pakistan. Ask Sri Lanka," he told the General Assembly.

"Ask any other country in our region and you will hear the same account: hit by the climate we did not warm, and hit again by the wars we did not start."

The remarks came as Shah used much of his first UNGA address as prime minister to focus on climate vulnerability, global inequality and the burden poorer countries face from disasters and geopolitical shocks they did little to cause. The Kathmandu Post described the speech as an attempt to turn Nepal's recent flood disaster into a broader argument for climate justice, stronger regional cooperation and a more responsive multilateral system.

Four weeks ago, catastrophic flash floods swept through Nepal's mountain communities in what Shah described as the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster.

He said the event had been so severe that many had called it a "Himalayan Tsunami".

Shah said at least 1,400 people had been confirmed dead and more than 6,000 remained missing, while rapid assessments put physical recovery needs at about 10 percent of Nepal's gross domestic product.
Shah said Nepal contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions but is facing retreating glaciers, unstable mountain slopes, unpredictable rivers and increasingly destructive floods and landslides.    �"bdnews24