Nepal's climate emergency resolution picked by two-thirds vote at IPU Assembly

Nepal's emergency resolution on climate-induced disasters has been selected for debate by a two-thirds majority at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), currently underway in Arusha, Tanzania.

Speaker Dolprasad Aryal had tabled the resolution calling for urgent parliamentary action to address climate-induced disasters and build resilience in the Himalayan and other at-risk regions.

In the Assembly's voting, the resolution received about 900 votes in favor, around 80 against, and about 140 abstentions. A two-thirds majority required roughly 650 votes.

Having received the highest number of votes, Nepal's resolution was included in the Assembly's emergency agenda.

The resolution covers the need for a legal framework among member states for cross-border early-warning systems and access to weather and climate technology.

The IPU's joint declaration is expected to give parliamentarians legal and moral grounds to hold their countries' executives accountable for fulfilling climate commitments. Issues of climate justice and parliamentary accountability are also part of the resolution.

Speaker Aryal said climate change has put the Himalayas, glaciers and glacial lakes at extreme risk, posing a growing threat to human civilization itself.

During the Assembly, Speaker Aryal also met his British counterpart and announced the formation of a Nepal-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group.

He thanked Britain for the solidarity and emergency assistance it showed following the recent floods and landslides. The meeting also discussed the disproportionate impact of climate change that Nepal has been experiencing.