New York, USA, September 25, 2026 — Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah met United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday evening, local time, ahead of Shah’s address to the UN General Assembly.
Shah, who is in New York to participate in the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, held the meeting with Guterres at 6:30 p.m. local time, which was 4:15 a.m. Friday in Nepal.
During the meeting, Guterres expressed condolences over the loss of lives and property caused by the Bhote Koshi disaster. He also affirmed the United Nations’ solidarity with Nepal on climate-related issues.
Guterres commended the young Nepali delegation and recalled his visit to Nepal as a tourist in 1978. He said he would continue supporting Nepal even after retiring as UN secretary-general.
Shah thanked Guterres for his goodwill toward Nepal and congratulated him on his successful tenure.
The prime minister said Nepal had suffered significant losses from the Bhote Koshi disaster and noted that the risk of glacial lake outbursts remains high.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal called the Bhotekoshi disaster a global warning and urged stronger climate finance, disaster preparedness and international support for Nepal’s recovery.
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The two sides also discussed the rehabilitation of people living along riverbanks and green reconstruction efforts.
The meeting further covered support for extending the timeline for Nepal’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.