President emphasizes on development of green economy to prevent environmental jeopardy

By special representative Surendra Bahadur Nepali

BEIJING, April 27: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has said the unsustainable patterns of production and consumption have accelerated environmental degradation and the less carbon producer countries like Nepal are bearing the brunt of climate change despite their negligible emissions.

Women and underprivileged community have been its main victims and the only way forward is the development of green economy, President Bhandari said in her address to a Roundtable on “Promoting Green and Sustainable Development to Implement the UN 2030 Agenda”.

‘The time has come to review the development models which are detrimental from environmental perspectives,’ she said adding, “the research findings have indicated that our posterity will not only face uncertainty but their future will be jeopardized if we fail to maintain the ecological balance of the planet.”

“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is for the people, for our planet and for prosperity”.

“This vision is for the kind of development which is transformative, inclusive and equitable. Indeed, sustainable development without inclusivity will be a mere illusion. The realization of this ambitious vision is possible only through an enhanced level of co-operation among nations,” she said.

“It is with this vision that Nepal has embodied the Sustainable Development Goals in its domestic policies, plans and programmes, the President noted, “We are in favor of strengthening the mandate of the United Nations for development”.

Bhandari went on saying that this is a happy coincidence that the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to achieve development and prosperity leaving no one behind, corresponds with Agenda 2030.

“Belt and Road Initiative, today, is becoming a key driver for poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure building and industrial transformation,” she added.

“Sustainable development under this circumstance will only be an illusion if such a situation is not altered”, she asserted.

“In this context, while balancing all the three components of sustainable development, the Belt and Road Initiative can serve as an important medium in transforming to clean-energy and low-carbon pathways of economy,” the President added.

Noting that cooperation in emerging industries like information technology can generate substantial growth, President Bhandari called for scientific researches and solutions to minimize environmental risks.

“Nepal is a country of the high Himalayas. These high peaks serve as the heat sink during the summer and heat source in winter. Forming an integral part of the organically linked ecosystem, they are the common heritage of humanity”.

Also, there is tremendous potential in developing clean energy in Nepal through hydropower and It can greatly contribute to the green development of Nepal as well as its neighbors, President Bhandari said. The President further added that Nepal, which was connected to the southern route of the ancient Silk Road, is now linked with Belt and Road Initiative.

“We believe that this Initiative will support the process of economic transformation of landlocked Nepal by expanding its connectivity networks and integrating its economy into the global market”.

She said the Belt and Road Initiative will presumably contribute to eradicating poverty, deepening and expanding trade, revolutionizing industries, creating jobs and improving the living conditions of the people by increasing economic opportunities.

“We are now creating the necessary foundations to realize the long-term goal of development and prosperity. In this context, we have laid primary emphasis on the development of Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network under Belt and Road Initiative”, the President added.

She defined the objective of “peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit as the spirit of the ancient Silk Road, and embraced by Belt and Road Initiative will help us realize the SDGs. RSS