Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) to the Sea: Vanishing Glaciers and Rising Seas in a Warming World

Our ancient wisdom teaches that mountains and the seas form a continuous story of creations. Today, that timeless story and continuous and sacred bond between mountains and seas under threat. The changes taking place in the Himalayas, including glaciers and snow loss, permafrost changes, and increasing cascading hazards are already affecting water, food, energy, livelihoods, and infrastructure far beyond the mountains. Today's discussions will therefore help identify practical areas for stronger cooperation from science and early warning to climate finance, technology, resilience, and international solidarity. Excellencies, to begin our discussions, we will have a short video presentation first. Please play the video now.

And on precedent of tragedy strikes, Roswell region, hundreds of foreign tourists are among those unaccounted for.

Ten years ago in Paris, we just pledged to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The world is failing to keep that.

Before the world saw the flood, Rasua was told to move. People had seen floods before. The warning sounded familiar. The danger was not. Something had broken loose high above. And in minutes, the landscape below was rewritten. A collapse so powerful, the USGS registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, and later attributed to the icefall. What began high in one mountain valley became a story much larger than Raswa. Because rivers do not stop at borders. The Bhoti Koshi feeds the Trishuli. The Trishuli joins the Gandak. And the Gandak carries Himalayan water towards the Ganga, towards the sea. For some, the flood took a life. For others, their livelihood. For thousands, it took the place they called home. And some still do not know who is coming back. The water receded, the sludge remained, blurring the line between what survived and what was gone. And then, sometimes, the mountain gave someone back. But a few rescues could not erase thousands of losses. Raswa is not an isolated tragedy. Across Nepal, the signals are repeating. Different valleys, different years, different triggers, the same question. How much more can a country absorb? Nepal contributes little to the emissions driving global warming. Yet, the climate signal is already written across its mountains, its rivers, its communities. Mountains are not just scenery. They are alive. They freeze. They fracture. They shift. And when they move, the consequences travel. downstream across borders towards the sea.

Thank you. And now it is my great honor. And to invite our honorable foreign minister, Mr. Seshikanal. To deliver his. Welcome, Mr. Max.

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Honorable Khaled Rahman, Honorable Ministers and representatives of our co-hosting countries, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, namaste and good afternoon. On behalf of government and people of Nepal, It is my privilege to welcome you to this high-level special event, Sagar Matha to Sea, a call to action for climate resilient future. I extend my sincere appreciation to all our partners, Bhutan, Maldives, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tajikistan, and UN agencies together with UNEP and SCAIP. Our partnership brings mountain, island, and coastal perspective into one conversation. We gather at a difficult moment for Nepal. As you saw on the video, on 26th August, a massive collapse of rock and glacier ice in Langtang region triggered what I have described as Himalayan tsunami, taking lives and destroying homes and vital infrastructure. The wounds are still fresh. There could hardly be a more timely moment for this conversation. Excellencies, Sagarmatha to the Sea begins with a simple proposition. The climate system does not recognize the boundaries through which we organize our politics. Sagarmatha, the tallest mountain on Earth, commonly known as the Everest, and the Himalayan region called the Third Pole, contains the largest volume of snow and ice outside the polar regions, featuring an inventory of over 63,000 glaciers, standing at the foot of the Himalayas in 2023, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described these glaciers as icy reservoirs. From there, water descends through glaciers and rivers, nourishing ecosystems and communities before reaching the sea. But Nepal has lost close to one-third of its ice in the last three decades. Their decline alters river flows and threatens livelihoods downstream, while island and coastal nations confront rising seas, erosions, and displacements. Excellencies, allow me, therefore, to offer five propositions. First, science, policy, and investment must recognize the ecological continuum, connecting mountains, freshwater systems, and oceans. Second, Mountains deserve greater prominence in climate processes, including systematic integration across relevant UNFCCC frameworks. Third, keeping 1.5 degrees centigrade within reach is imperative. Every fraction of a degree matters, requiring accelerated emission reduction and implementation of the transition away from fossil fuels agreed under the UNFCCC process. Fourth, Preparedness requires stronger early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, anticipatory action, and scientific cooperation. And finally, the fifth, developing countries need adequate, predictable, and accessible climate finance, technology, and capacity building. The fund for responding to loss and damage must be sufficiently capitalized and be accessible. Climate justice is tangible when responsibility, capacity, and vulnerability are reflected in the support countries receive. Nepal is doing its part. Forest covers around 46% of our territory. Clean hydropower and electric mobility are expanding, and community-led conservation remains central to our environmental stewardship. Excellencies, in 2025, Nepal convened the first Sagar Matha Sambad, focused on climate change, mountains, and future of humanity. We look forward to welcoming the international community for its second edition next year. We similarly envisage Sagar Matha to see as a platform for knowledge, partnership, and practical cooperation. The mountain and the sea may appear far apart on the map, but nature tells us otherwise. the water that leaves our glaciers continues its journey, so do the consequences of the choices we make today. Let Sagarmatha to the sea become a way of understanding our shared planet and foundation for working together to protect it. And I thank you.

I thank Honorable Minister for his welcoming remarks. Now it is my honor to invite His Excellency Dr. Khalilul Rahman, President of the General Assembly, to share his reflections. Thank you, Excellency, for making your time available despite a very, very tight schedule, you can understand. Excellency, please.

Thank you so much. Distinguished ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, when the permanent representative of Nepal, Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, asked me to come over. I said, if there is one event I'll go, I'll go to this event. Because this is a reminder of what we have failed to achieve and a pointer to what we are getting into. So this is very, very important. I thank Nepal and the co-sponsors for convening us at this critical moment. And our hearts are with the people of Nepal and also China, still grappling in the aftermath of the catastrophic avalanche and flash flooding. We have seen some pictures when I first saw them. It was something, stuff of movies, right? But it happens in reality, in affected people. We mourn the lives lost and we stand in solidarity with affected communities. and recognize the immense challenge of rebuilding lives, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure. The tragedy reminds us of a fundamental truth. Climate change respects no borders, and its impact do not remain confined to the places where they begin. These crises are part of one interconnected climate system. High in the mountains, glaciers are retreating and snow patterns are shifting. and permafrost is changing. These transformations are destabilizing water systems and intensifying the risks of avalanches, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods, and cascading disasters. And the story does not end at the mountain's edge. Mountains provide between 55% to 60% of the world's annual freshwater flows and some 2 billion people depend on mountain waters for their lives and livelihoods. Changes in the cryosphere, therefore, threaten water, food, energy security, far beyond high altitude communities. Rivers carry these impacts downstream through farms, cities, and deltas before reaching the sea. At the same time, the loss of land-based ice contributes directly to sea level rise, placing coastal communities, low-lying countries, and small island developing states at growing peril. In 2024 alone, glaciers lost approximately 450 billion tons of ice, 450 billion. enough to raise global sea level by about 1.2 millimeters in a single year. The latest evidence also shows that all monitored glaciers in high mountain Asia lost mass in 2025. From Sagar Mata to the sea, we are witnessing one interconnected climate crisis. These interconnections reinforce the urgency of keeping our 1.5 degree goal within reach. Every fraction of a degree is important, especially for communities already facing the most severe climate impact. Science provides us with the evidence we need to understand the challenges before us and the consequences of inaction. What matters now is what we do with that knowledge and how quickly can we act. We must use our scientific knowledge to take action, action that protects people and safeguards the progress that communities have worked hard to achieve over many, many years. These calls for stronger monitoring and sharing of data. It calls for early warning systems that alert people to multiple risks, action before disaster strikes, and infrastructure that can withstand a changing climate. and it calls for ensuring that risks related to mountains, glaciers and snow are part of national development and disaster planning. A Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025 to 2034 provides us an important opportunity to bring science, policy and implementation together and ensure that our shared knowledge informs decisions on the ground. For this, we need solidarity. Many mountain, coastal, and island communities facing the gravest risks have contributed the least to global emissions. They also have the fewest resources to respond. They need access to the technology, expertise, and resources required to adapt and build resilience. Our efforts must be supported by adequate, predictable, and accessible finance to help communities adapt, build resilience, and address loss and damage. Today, the adaptation finance needs of developing countries are estimated to be at least 12 times current international public flows. Closing this gap is not charity. It's an investment in shared security, sustainable development, and global stability. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, the General Assembly has an important role to play. By drawing on its ability to unite the United Nations system, the Assembly can keep the spotlight focused on the issues, connecting the experiences of mountain, coastal and island countries, and strengthen partnerships for action. As we look towards COP31 and beyond, let us make Sagarmatha to the Sea a practical agenda. for shared resilience, shared responsibility, and collective action. This is how we can manage transformation in a way that strengthens trust, ensuring our knowledge, our partnerships, and our commitments to translate our words into concrete results. I thank you.

I thank His Excellency, the President of the General Assembly, for his remarks. And thank you, Excellency, for your strong support to this global agenda. Now, I am honored to invite His Excellency, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, to deliver his remarks.

Thank you, Mr. Maderator. Your Excellency, Mr. Shishir Khanaal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Your Excellency, Dr. halilur Rahman president of the United Nation General Assembly excellencies distinguished colleagues ladies and gentlemen it is a great honor to join Nepal in convening this timely side event together with all co-sponsors sagar Mata to to the sea expresses a simple truth mountains and oceans and upstream and downstream communities are deeply connected. For Tajikistan, glacier preservation is a matter of water availability, sustainable development, and the well-being of millions. As a mountainous country and a source of major rivers in Central Asia, we see how climate change affects lives, for lives far beyond mountain valleys. Over the past 50 years, approximately 1,300 glaciers in Tajikistan have disappeared. Globally, all 19 glacier regions assessed recorded net mass loss between 2000 and 2023. Together, they lost more than 6,500 gigatons of ice. Glacier loss affects river systems, food and energy security, disaster risks, and sea level rise. It directly links the future of high mountains to that of coastal communities. This is why glaciers must remain central to the climate, water, and sustainable development agendas. We need better science and monitoring, effective early warning systems, climate resilience infrastructure, technology cooperation, and accessible long-term finance for vulnerable mountain communities. Tajikistan has worked consistently to advance this agenda. At our initiative, the United Nations declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers Preservation, proclaimed 21st March as World Day for Glaciers, and established the International Trust Fund in support of activities for glaciers preservation. The high-level international conference on glaciers preservation held in Dushanbe in May 2025, gave new momentum to international cooperation. As co-chair of the Group of Friends of Glaciers, Tajikistan will continue to keep this issue high on the international agenda. We call on member states, international organizations, and development partners to support the trust fund and turn commitments into action. Excellencies, glacier preservation and water action must go together. Water connects climate, food, energy, ecosystems, health, development, and peace. Through the Dushanbe Water Process, Tajikistan promotes this integrated approach. We look forward to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi and to the 2028 United Nations Water Conference in Dushanbe. These conferences form one pathway from commitments to implementation and measurable results. On 2nd September 2026, the General Assembly adopted by consensus resolution on the modalities of the 2028 Conference. It provides for a conference in Dushanbe from 4th to 6th May 2028 and for adoption by consensus of its outcome and intergovernmentally negotiated document agreed in advance to be known as the Dushanbe Water Framework. The framework is a practical umbrella for water action. It will be developed through an open and member state driven process. The 2028 conference will be the final comprehensive review of the water action decade. It must help us accelerate delivery on water, climate resilience, and the sustainable development goals. Distinguished colleagues, the catastrophic flash floods and rock glacier collapse that have recently affected Nepal and China show why this event is not only timely but necessary. Therefore, Tajikistan extends its heartfelt condolences and solidarity to all affected governments, communities, and families who have lost loved ones. They remind us of the human cost of climate change and of the urgency of acting together. From Sagarmatha to the sea, our response must be connected, grounded in science, supported by finance, enabled by technology, and driven by cooperation. Tajikistan stands ready to work with Nepal and all partners to preserve glaciers, safeguard water resources, and build a more climate-resilient future for mountain and coastal communities alike. I thank you for your attention.

I thank you, Excellency, for your remarks. And now I would like to invite Her Excellency Meedz Iru to some other ministers for foreign affairs of Republic of Maldives. your Excellency you have the floor now.

Thank thank you very much I would like to firstly uh great distinguished uh foreign minister of Nepal excellencies Partners ladies and gentlemen the lady the M is is proud to co-host this event and I thank the government of Nepal for this leadership and partnership. This is not only timely but very important and essential. Before turning to our shared agenda, let me also express sincere condolences on behalf of President His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Muizz and the Maldivian people to our Nepali neighbors impacted by the devastating flash floods just last month. Nepal is home to Sagarmatha, the highest point on Earth, while the Maldives is among the world's lowest-lying countries. Our geographies could hardly be more different, yet the same warming planet is reshaping both our futures. What happens in the mountains does not stay there. Its consequences travel downstream, across borders. and ultimately to our course. Glaciers loss and changing weather affect rivers, ecosystems, food, water, and transport, while warming oceans and rising seas place island communities under growing pressure. For the Maldives, climate resilience means having the capacity to protect our national choices before climate shocks narrow them. President Dr. Mohamed Muizz has set the goal for the Maldives becoming a developed country by 2040. Climate resilience is integral to the transformation from protecting our coastlines and coral reefs to strengthening communities and safeguarding the investments on which development depends. These priorities should guide that effort, beginning with shorter observation, stronger observation, science and data sharing from mountains to coasts. Early warning systems must protect communities from sudden disasters while also tracking slow onset threats before they become crises. Second, finance must arrive before vulnerability begins catastrophe. Adaptation finance must be predictable, adequate and accessible, while the fund for responding to loss and damage must have the resources to respond when impacts exceed our ability to adapt. Countries facing slow moving threats should not have to wait until those threats become humanitarian disasters before international support becomes available. We should also scale practical financing tools already being tested, including parametric insurance and blended finance, while helping vulnerable countries share experience rather than repeatedly reinvent solutions. Third, climate-vulnerable countries need greater access to technology, technical expertise, and institutional capacity. Scientific knowledge changes lives when countries can translate it into resilient infrastructure, stronger communities, and decisions taken in time. That is why every fraction of a degree matters, whether warming accelerates, glacial loss, compound sea level rise, increased risk of climate-induced disasters, and narrows the choices available to our people. From Sagamatha to the shores of the Maldives, climate risk moves through one connected system. Our response must travel with equal reach, from knowledge to early warning, from finance to action, and from vulnerability to resilience. I would like to thank all the co-sponsors and the leadership of Nepal. Thank you, Excellencies.

I thank the, your excellency, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Maldives. Now I would like to invite Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for ASEAN Pacific, and Ms. Armida Salcia Alija Bana. I also would like to thank the SCAP for supporting us to hold the similar event with the theme of Sagarmatha to the Sea, Vanishing Glaciers, Rising Sea in a Warming World during the APFSD in February this year. Thank you so much.

Oh, yeah, it's working. Okay. Yes. Honorable Mr. Shihir Kanal, Foreign Minister of Nepal. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues and friends, the devastating disaster that struck Nepal on 26 August has profoundly touched us all. I extend my deepest condolences and solidarity to the people and government of Nepal and to all those who lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes. This tragedy reminds us that climate risks are becoming more complex, interconnected, and difficult to predict, underscoring the urgent need for stronger resilience and cooperation. Yet, as devastating as this event was, what happened in the Bote-Koshi-Trishuli basin is not unique to Nepal. It is a warning to the world. Climate change is reshaping the Earth's oceans, land, glaciers, and atmosphere. Glaciers are retreating, sea levels are rising, rainfall patterns are changing, and extreme events are becoming more intense with cascading consequences for people, ecosystems, and economies. These impacts are likely to be further amplified through the interactions among these systems as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and drive additional warming. The lesson is clear, risk management systems must better address interconnected and cascading risk that transcend ecosystems, sectors, and national borders. Against this background, allow me to highlight three collective priorities that are central to reducing future losses and safeguarding current development gains. The first one is that we need analytical and modeling approaches that better capture interconnected and rapidly evolving risk across the mountain to sea continuum. This requires sustained investment in scientific research, coordinated monitoring, observation systems and data platforms across national borders. These efforts must support multi-hazard early warning systems and early action mechanisms that help countries anticipate and respond before disasters unfold. Next, disaster risk management must extend beyond emergency response. Governments must apply risk information to development planning, investment and financing decisions to protect water, food and energy systems, critical infrastructure and vulnerable communities. This also requires greater access to adaptation finance and support for responding to loss and damage, particularly for countries in special situation. And also, the teleconnections between glacier, rivers, deltas, and oceans transcend national boundaries and conventional institutional arrangements. Addressing these transboundary risks requires stronger regional and global cooperation to advance glacier preservation, ocean-based climate action, and climate resilience. The Sagarmatha to the Sea vision highlights our shared responsibility to strengthen solidarity among mountain, downstream, coastal, and island communities facing this interconnected climate risk. Regional platform can mobilize the required knowledge, partnership, and finance while strengthening collective responses to our shared risks and vulnerabilities. Building on this imperative for collective action, ESCAP and the Government of Nepal, facilitated by the mission or the embassy in Bangkok, will convene a regional meeting in Bangkok next month to advance cooperation on early warning systems, data sharing and coordinated climate adaptation. From mountains to the sea, risks are increasingly systemic and cascading. Our response must match this new reality through science, risk informed governance, financing and stronger partnership. Let us build on the momentum generated by this dialogue to strengthen resilience, protect vulnerable communities and advance cooperation across the mountain to sea continuum. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Executive Secretary of SCA for her presentations. And now I would like to invite Mr. Martin Kraus, Director of the Climate Science Division of UNEP, to make a short presentation.

Thank you very much, distinguished ministers, excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Let me first express UNEP's deepest condolences and solidarity with the people of Nepal following the devastating floods. The loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods is heartbreaking. It is also a stark reminder that climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is here, and it is hitting hard. Excellencies, friends, we are entering an era of overshoot. As global temperatures rise beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, climate risks intensify. Our task is therefore not only to limit warming, but to minimize both the magnitude and the duration of any overshoot. Every fraction of a degree matters. Every year matters. Mountain regions are among the clearest warning signs of what is at stake. Climate change is unfolding faster in many mountain regions than the global average. Glaciers are retreating, snow patterns are changing, hazards are becoming more frequent and more complex. Floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst flooding are increasingly interacting in ways that create cascading risks for people, for infrastructure, and for ecosystems. What we have witnessed in Nepal is not an isolated event. It reflects a broader reality unfolding across mountain regions around the world. world. And what happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains. Mountains are the source of rivers that sustain communities, agriculture, energy systems, and economies far downstream. The Hindu Kush Himalaya alone feeds 10 major river systems that support the lives and livelihoods of up to 2 billion people. A change in a glacier, watershed, or ecosystem upstream can have consequences hundreds or even thousands of kilometers downstream. Water does not respect political boundaries, neither do climate risks. And this is why resilience in mountain regions cannot be built by any country acting alone. We need stronger regional cooperation. We need better systems for monitoring environmental change, sharing data, strengthening early warning systems, and coordinating adaptation across entire river basins. Through partnerships such as Mountains Connect and the collaboration with regional institutions, such as the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, countries across the Hindu Kush Himalaya are strengthening knowledge sharing, risk assessment, and cooperation on climate resilience. These efforts demonstrate an important lesson. When countries work together around shared ecosystems, they are better equipped to manage the shared risks. But institutions alone are not enough. What is also needed is political leadership. leadership that recognizes that resilience upstream and downstream are inseparable. The cost of inaction are already enormous. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, economic losses from floods and mass movements have been estimated at around 45 billion US dollars over recent decades. Yet the true cost cannot be measured alone in dollars. It is measured in lost livelihoods, damaged agricultural land, degraded ecosystems, disrupted communities, and futures put at risk. And the injustice is impossible to ignore. The communities facing some of the most severe climate impacts are often those that have contributed least to the emissions driving the crisis. But the floods we have seen in Nepal remind us that progress must now be measured by how quickly support reaches those on the front lines and whether finance is accessible, predictable, and responsive to the realities communities face. At the same time, we know that many losses can be reduced through stronger investments in resilience. One of the smartest investments we can make is in nature itself. Healthy mountain ecosystems are powerful natural infrastructure. Forests stabilize slopes. Wetlands regulate water flows. Healthy watersheds reduce the risks downstream. These ecosystems also store carbon. They sustain biodiversity and they support livelihoods. Across mountain regions, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem-based adaptation are already demonstrating results. Through initiatives supported by UNEP and partners, degraded watersheds are being restored, local communities are strengthening their resilience to climate impacts, and practical solutions are being shared through platforms such as Adaptation at Altitude. The lesson is simple. When healthy ecosystems, local knowledge, and climate finance come together, resilience increases. But success will not come from isolated projects. We need to embed ecosystem-based approaches into national adaptation and development planning. We need long-term financing. We need stronger institutions. And we need to invest much more in early warning and early action. We know that the ability to anticipate hazards, communicate risks, and act before disasters strike can save lives, protect livelihoods, and significantly reduce economic losses. In a warming world, preparedness is one of the most effective investments we can make. Excellencies, Nepal's floods are a tragedy, but they are also a warning. A warning about what climate overshoot means for mountain regions. A warning that risks emerging in mountains do not remain in mountains. And a warning that resilience can no longer be built with national borders alone. From ridge to river, our futures are connected. UNEP stands ready to work with Nepal and the countries across the Hindu Kush Himalaya the regional institutions and partners around the world to strengthen resilience and to turn commitments into action. I thank you.

I thank you for the presentations. Now I would like to invite Her Excellency, Ms. Gabrielle Rus, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.

Distinguished delegates and colleagues, thank you first to the government of Nepal for convening this event, and to our fellow co-hosts. And at the outset, I would like to acknowledge the people of Nepal following the severe and devastating floods on 26 August. Our thoughts are with the communities affected and with those supporting response and recovery efforts. New Zealand is pleased to have contributed its support to Nepal through a contribution of $3.5 million toward humanitarian actors that are supporting the Nepal government's response. Nepal has shown important leadership in bringing attention to the connections between climate impacts in mountain regions and those experienced far beyond them. And for New Zealand, our relationship with Nepal gives particular meaning to this event. We are peoples that share a special connection forged through Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic ascent of Sagarmatha in 1953 and built on in the many decades since. The concept of Sagarmatha to the Sea captures a significant reality. Climate impacts do not occur in isolation. The retreat of glaciers Changes in water systems and rising seas may be experienced in different places, but they are linked parts of the same challenge. And as a mountainous island nation, New Zealand recognises these connections well. Our landscapes are shaped by both glaciers and ocean, and their resilience underpins the wellbeing of our communities. We are therefore taking a whole of government or a whole of system approach to resilience laying the foundations for informed decision-making, effective risk management, and enduring community well-being in the face of future challenges. The themes of this event are equally relevant across our own region. In New Zealand's Pacific neighborhood, climate change is not a future concern, it is a present reality. Pacific partners are confronting increasingly severe climate risks, including sea level rise, coastal erosion, and more frequent extreme weather events. So addressing sea level rise is particularly important for small island developing states and low-lying coastal states who are already facing the harsh implications of rising seas. It degrades habitability and adversely impacts everyday ways of life. As a Pacific nation, we are aware that climate change and sea level rise are the defining issues that imperil the livelihoods and well-being of Pacific peoples. And in this regard, we recognize the important work of the Pacific Islands Forum in leading the way on the legal dimensions of sea level rise, including in the 2021 declaration on the preservation of maritime zones, and the 2023 declaration on the continuity of statehood and protection of persons. The countries of the Blue Pacific have long demonstrated global leadership on climate change, often from the front lines of climate impacts, and New Zealand is committed to supporting that leadership through practical partnership and support. This commitment is reflected in our climate finance New Zealand provides high quality grants based, accessible and partner responsive climate support with more than half directed through to toward adaptation action. And we recognise that vulnerable countries and communities need support that is predictable, practical and responsive to their priorities. The message of this event is one of shared interest and shared responsibility. Mountain countries, coastal states, and small island developing states all have a stake in strengthening resilience to reduce the effects of climate impacts. New Zealand supports efforts to advance science-based decision-making, anticipatory action, and improved access to finance and capacity building support for those most vulnerable. From the highest point on earth to island nations surrounded by ocean, our experience may differ, but our future is interconnected.

Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand. Now I would like to invite His Excellency Mr. Tenzin Rondol Wangchuk, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

My friend, Ambassador Lok, tells me I do not have much time to deliver my statement. Neither do our people living in the Himalayas and in the middle of an ocean from the threat of climate change. Excellencies and dear delegates, I speak to you today as a representative from the most mountainous country in the world, the Kingdom of Bhutan. I want to place before you two events separated by a continent and by a matter of months that I believe capture the paradox at the heart of our climate emergency. On 28th May 2025, a glacier above the Swiss village of Blatten collapsed, destroying the entire village. It was, by every measure, a catastrophic event. And yet, because Swiss glaciologists had monitored the mountain for years, because sensors registered its movement, and because authorities acted on the data, the village had already been emptied. Residents were evacuated days in advance. And in a detail that moved audiences worldwide, dozens of cows, nearly 200 sheep, and even rabbits were airlifted out by helicopter to safety. One life was lost, a village was destroyed, but a community survived because the mechanism to see the disaster coming and the resources to act on that warning were both in place. On 26 August 2026, a strikingly similar event unfolded above the Nepal-China border when part of the glacier gave way, triggering a massive flood that destroyed lives and properties downstream in Nepal. In fact, Nepal is still counting their losses. Two glaciers failed. Two valleys flooded with rocks and ice. In one, cows, sheep, and rabbits were saved. In another, thousands of people were not. This is not a story about Swiss competence versus Nepalese vulnerability. It is a story about asymmetry in the tools nations have to see danger coming The developed nations have the fiscal debt to act decisively and immediately on a warning. The poorer countries like Bhutan and Nepal, we do not. This is the injustice at the core of climate crisis. The physics of a warming planet does not discriminate, but our capacity to predict, to warn, and to respond remains sharply and unfairly divided along lines of wealth and geography. Bhutan, like Nepal, sits below glaciers and hundreds of glacial lakes that grow more unstable each year. We share this exposure with every mountain and coastal nations gathered here, from the high Himalayas to the low-lying atolls, that this dialogue is named to connect Sagarmatha to the sea. For decades, the world has listened to warnings about climate change. in scientific reports, in the pleas of small island states, in the cries of mountain communities watching their glaciers vanish. And for decades, those warnings have been heard, applauded, and set aside. We convene, we pledge, and we disperse, and the planet keeps warming regardless of our applause. Our valleys are becoming graveyards. Our communities in the Himalaya bear a disproportionate share of the crisis we did not create. The tragedy that struck our neighbor Nepal is still fresh in all our minds. It is not a Nepalese tragedy alone. It is a Himalayan warning. And my own country lives inside that warning every day. Switzerland showed the world what is possible when a mountain community has the tools to listen to its mountain. Nepal showed what is lost when it does not. None of us in this hall speak from a place of honor. We all speak from a place of despair. Help us prevent our homes from becoming our own graveyards. I thank you.

I thank Excellency. Now I would like to invite another co-host, His Excellency Patu Manov Paul Lelei Lutelu, Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations.

Thank you very much, Mr. Moderator, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies. Let me begin by expressing on behalf of Samoa our deepest condolences and solidarity to the government and people of Nepal. following the devastating flood affecting communities across the country. This tragedy is a powerful reminder that the climate crisis is not something we are preparing for in the future. It is already shaping the lives of communities today. Samoa experiences reality from the other end of the mountain to see connection. We see it through rising sea level and coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into our freshwater sources, changing ocean conditions, and growing threats to our livelihood, infrastructure, and ecosystem. That is why the message, "Sakamata to the Sea," resonates strongly with Samoa. It reminds us that climate impacts do not respect borders, and they do not stop at the boundaries between ecosystems. What happens in the high mountain can have consequences far downstream, reaching coastline and oceans. Although we are separated by geography, our ecosystems are connected. and so are the risks we face. This is where mountain to sea solidarity becomes crucial. This is why keeping 1.5 degrees within reach must remain an urgent global priority. Every fraction of additional warming increases the risk faced by vulnerable mountain, coastal and islands community. At the same time, we must prepare for the impact that we are already experiencing. We need stronger scientific cooperation, better sharing of climate data, and early warning system that reach communities in time to prepare and act. But this also requires resources. We need greater access to climate finance that is predictable, accessible and responsive to the needs of countries on the frontline of climate change. As we look towards COP31, let us build on the message of "Sakamata to the Sea" and turn it into meaningful action. Let us connect science with action, early warning with preparedness, climate ambitions with resources needed to deliver it, and mountain communities with ocean communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. I'm just being informed that the Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, he has another engagement. That's why I would like to give the floor to Mr. Sun Lei, DPR of China.

Thank you very much, Ambassador Locke. Your Excellency, Minister Shisha, colleagues, I'd like to, first of all, thank the government of Nepal for convening this high-level meeting. Not long ago, a sudden glacier collapse in the China-Nepal border area has triggered a severe mudslide. causing significant casualties and leaving people missing on both sides. China extends its condolences to the government of Nepal and all those hit by this disaster, and sincerely hopes that they will restore their livelihoods and rebuild their homes at an early date. China and Nepal are a community linked by mountains and rivers, and sharing a common future. As both countries have suffered from this cross-border disaster, we deeply understand each other's pain and share a common aspiration to strengthen the protection of mountains and glaciers and enhance early warning and disaster relief capabilities. While carrying out rescue and relief efforts at home, China extended a helping hand to Nepal at an early stage moment. by dispatching rescue experts, sharing important information such as images, satellite and hydrological data of the disaster-driven area. China supported Nepal in its emergency disaster relief efforts. In the face of disaster, our two countries have interpreted the tradition of friendship across the Himalayas with concrete actions. Colleagues, climate change is a common challenge for humankind, we must fully implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, remain remitting in actions and relentless in intensity, and firmly pursue a path of green and low carbon development. Faced with climate risks, developing countries have an urgent need to strengthen their adoption capabilities. while also shouldering the important task of energy transition and economic development. All countries should make climate adaptation a priority and pursue international cooperation in early warning, risk assessment, and disaster prevention and mitigation to strengthen the climate resilience of developing countries. At the same time, they should advance energy transition in light of their national circumstances and the resources endowment. Developed countries should earnestly fulfill their obligations to provide financial support and help improve the rapid disbursement of the fund for responding to loss and damage so as to better meet the developing countries' emergency disaster relief needs. China is an active promoter and contributor to global climate governance. Climate change and green development is one of the eight priority areas of the Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. We stand ready to work with all parties to address climate change, advance a just and green transition, and build a clean and beautiful world together. Thank you, Ambassador.

Thank you so much. Now I would like to invite Ms. Thelmidja Hussein, Director, Regional Commissions, Office of New York, as a co-host of this event.

Honorable Foreign Minister of Nepal, Shis Kunal, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, it is a pleasure to join you today and particularly to see this important conversation continue from Bangkok to New York. I would also like to recognize his Excellency, Lok Bahadur Thapa, under whose presidency of ECOSOC we had this discussion earlier at ESCAP during APFST. Sagar Matar to the sea, strengthening the foundation for this conversation we are carrying forward here today. Allow me to also express, join others in expressing our condolences to the end. We stand in solidarity with people of Nepal, China, and all those who all those who are impacted. I am also pleased to see Maldives and Samoa, small island states, in this conversation. From mountains to small island states, this conversation captures precisely why this initiative matters. And we heard the impacts from loss of glaciers that are felt beyond the mountains, from rivers that sustain the communities to deltas where millions live, and coastlines where small island states homes their livelihoods and the increasingly at risk of losing their homes. Today, the opportunities to take conversation a little bit further from recognizing the connection to building cooperation around it. Across the five regions, the regional commissions have experience that can support and advance the action. as executive secretary also highlight, we can connect the climate data and early warning systems across borders. We can work together to manage shared rivers and risks that stretch from mountains to coastlines. And we can share practical approaches to adaptation and climate finance, particularly for vulnerable countries and mountainous countries and small island states across different regions. And this is where regional cooperation can make a real difference. Countries may face different challenges, but they're also finding solutions. And there's a lot we can learn from one another. The regional commissions are already working across Africa, Latin America, Caribbean, Asia Pacific, Western Asia on climate finance, including debt for climate swaps. And we can build on these approaches. What works in one region on early warning systems, water management, adaptation or finance can help shape solutions in others. And this was an important part of our conversation in Bangkok, and we should continue to build on this. So the regional commissions and along with the regional commissions, New York office, we stand ready to carry this dialogue across regions, sharing experiences, strengthening cooperation, advancing resilience from Sagar Mata to the shores of the Maldives and other small island states. I thank you.

Thank you. Now I would like to invite His Excellency, Mr. Ralph Regin Vanu, Minister of Climate Change of Vanuatu. Excellency, you have the floor.

Excellencies, colleagues, we thank the co-hosts for organizing this important event and share our condolences with the government and people of Nepal. We have heard how glacier loss and rising seas connect mountain and island communities. They also expose a shared injustice. Those least responsible face profound losses while having the least power over the response. Our communities are expected to demonstrate resilience, while borrowing to rebuild. Access to support too often depends on donor priorities, funding cycles, and what others are prepared to offer. Loss of life, damage to health and ecosystems, and losses of culture and relationships that sustain community life remain inadequately recognized. Climate justice requires us to confront who bears these costs and who controls the response. People should not have to depend on handouts from those most responsible for the harm on terms that those countries determine. The science, early warning, technology, and accessible finance discussed today are essential, but justice requires processes through which affected people can exercise their rights, determine their priorities, and secure remedy. The ICJ advisory opinion gave us legal clarity on this. Addressing the injury and loss and damage that is undermining our peoples and way of life is a matter of rights and obligations under international law. Our institutions must give all obligations relating to climate change practical effect and drive meaningful change. We know that if we continue on the present course, knowing the consequences, we are complicit in the harm. The General Assembly resolution we secured together in May this year, resolution 80/263, provides a process to advance the work. The final two paragraphs of the resolution are of critical importance. One requests the Secretary-General to report back to the General Assembly on ways to advance compliance with all obligations in relation to the court's findings. We spent months negotiating this paragraph. Vanuatu's original proposal was to establish an international register of climate damage and a mechanism for reparation of climate harms. The compromise was a stepped approach, a commitment to a process that could lead to establishing the register mechanism through the Secretary-General's report, provided there was no actual reference to it in the resolution itself. The silver lining to this compromise is that the concept of the register and the mechanism was socialized, and we have not abandoned these proposals. We want the report to help move them forward. An international register of climate damage and mechanism for reparation of climate harms would document economic and non-economic losses, including slow onset harm that receives too little attention. The mechanism would turn that evidence into remedy through cooperation, negotiated reparation, coordination of resources, and scrutiny of delivery. Working alongside existing funds and technical networks, these arrangements would help ensure that documented harm and affected communities' priorities guide the response. They would provide a standing process for pursuing repair, rather than leaving countries to renew appeals after each disaster. The Secretary-General's report is due after the UN's 82nd session. This session, UN 81, is the time to organize, build support, and contribute. It is a time to start building ideas on ways to advance compliance with obligations and operationalize the court's findings, and most importantly, coordinate on this. The second critical paragraph of resolution 80/263 is the follow-up of the advisory opinion being included on the agenda for UN 83. This is an opportunity that should not be overlooked because it is so far away. We should work on a General Assembly resolution that actions these proposed structural changes, the register and the mechanism for reparation. Unlike the incremental gains achieved through the consensus-based process of the UNFCCC, The General Assembly could adopt our proposals by a simple majority vote, and therefore presents a genuine opportunity for significant progress. Like-minded vulnerable countries from Sagamata to the Pacific should prepare early, agree on a common strategy, and begin building the cross-regional support needed to secure concrete outcomes through the report process. We invite states to consider this and work with us through the Secretary-General's report process. From the mountains to the sea, the need is clear, the Court has clarified the law, But do we have the political will to take the next steps that justice requires? Thank you.

Thank you, Minister, for his very powerful remark. Now I would like to give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Kanni Vignarajah, Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director of Asia and Pacific at the UNDP, another very important partner in Nepal to address global and climate change impact.

Thank you, moderator, honorable Ashish Kunal, excellencies. I'm going to cut to the chase and just agree with a lot of what has been said in the room. And I would like us to focus on maybe three choices, tough choices that your words have really put on the table. And these may sound technical. They are anything but. They are political choices, and they need to be negotiated. And I'm very glad I met a minister from Vanuatu in his home country recently, and his words are very, very strong. So three choices. First, a choice to let the new science and data guide our decisions. The real test is whether we can use this before disaster strikes, not after. It's quite amazing how the science is coming after, but we have all of this information and data of what's going on deep under the ground and also on the seas. So we can, with new satellite and AI mapping, show the breaking points well in advance. But this means a whole different approach to early warning systems and prevention. Second is a choice about design and build of infrastructure. Again, this is not a choice of engineering. These solutions are known. These are political choices, they're cross-border choices, and they're financial choices. But doing this right will save millions of people and millions in terms of cost. And a third is a choice about how we finance this future. The question is not whether we pay for adaptation, but how much we are willing to invest in prevention and resilience. So as a number of the ministers have said, concessional insurance and concessional financing that kicks in immediately is needed at a much greater scale than what we see today. But to enable this and really unpack this, it means the measure of the value and returns on investment has to change so that this investment then flows, as should insurance, in this direction. Now, UNDP, with all its partners here in the room, is working with Nepal and the other countries that spoke to really advocate for the new science, to turn the science into policy, the policy into investment, and the investment into more secure futures. To me, the term Sagar is really an interesting one because from one end, you can look at it as the mountains or the seas, but it's also curious that it's a choice of name for people. And it goes from Anglo-Saxon cultures to Sanskrit and Asian cultures. And in some, it means warrior, and in some, it means boundless wisdom. Well, to carry these negotiations forward, we're going to need really wise, tough warriors. Thank you.

Thank you, Yes, for your remarks. And now I would like to invite His Excellency, Mr. Jeyanta Jayasuriya, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, for his remark.

Thank you, Ambassador Thapa. Honourable Minister, Excellencies, Sri Lanka thanks Nepal and the co-sponsors for convening this discussion, and also wish to extend our profound sorrow and condolences to both the people and governments of Nepal and China for the losses that were caused due to the recent environmental disaster. Changes in mountains and river systems can be felt far from downstream. while the loss of land ice contributes to the rising seas facing island countries such as Sri Lanka. Last November, Cyclone Dikta brought severe flooding and landslide across Sri Lanka. It claimed 688 lives and affected 1.7 million people. Our experience has reinforced the importance of early warning and of having the capacity to act on it. Information must reach people on time and institutions must be ready to respond. Recovery must address environmental concerns, restore livelihoods, strengthen adaptive capacity, and reduce vulnerability to future disasters. At the national level, Sri Lanka is strengthening its institutional and policy frameworks for adaptation and disaster resilience. Vulnerable developing countries require greater and more accessible access to climate finance, technical assistance, and technology. transfer to strengthen preparedness, respond effectively to disasters, and recover in a resilient and sustainable manner. Mountain, downstream, and island communities experience climate change differently, but their futures are increasingly connected. The experiences of countries represented in this forum demonstrate the importance of collective action in building climate resilience. Sri Lanka stands ready to strengthen cooperation from Sagar Matha to the sea. I thank you.

I thank the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Now I give the floor to the Co-Chairs of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, Mr. George Boensting, Norway.

Thank you, Chair. And let me just say that I'm presently here in the role as co-chair of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, but I'm also a representative of the Norwegian government. So let me just offer first my condolences and deep sympathy with the victims of the flash flood disaster and the solidarity with Nepal and the people in Nepal in this situation, both from the board, but also from the Norwegian government. This morning, we had an event on the urgent case for scaling up loss and damage finance organized by the government of the Philippines and in cooperation with the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. Minister, you were also present there, and thank you for your participation. The Fund for Loss and Damage was established exactly to respond to these type of impacts of climate change. And as many of you will know, the Fund has also received a request for support to Nepal. And while the Fund is still not fully operational and it's in a stage of a pilot phase, the Board is fully committed to it's this request and it's presently considering an appropriate response to the request. Now taking my culture hat off, let me also say that Norway has contributed 10 million Norwegian kroner in humanitarian assistance to Nepal following the devastating floods, flash floods, and the funding will help provide shelter, clean water, health service, and other emergency assistance to effective communities and over stands with the people in Nepal in this difficult time. I would also just like to make another comment and which has been alluded to by several here and that is that knowledge, research and disaster preparedness is crucial for how we respond to a changing climate while we also must not lose sight of the urgency in tackling the root cause, which is emissions of greenhouse gases. Thank you. Now, Norway has partnered with Nepal and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, since 1993 to support climate resilience, sustainable development and clean energy in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Some of the key focus areas of this partnership are the support of the SDGs regional collaboration among the eight HKH member countries, disaster preparedness and climate research. And we're also very proud of supporting ISMOHD's fifth action plan, focused on climate resilient and sustainable mountain future. And I will just end by saying that while there is an urgent and great need for financial and other support to Nepal now in this, in the aftermath of the flash flood tragedy, and unfortunately we will face similar and other types of loss and damage increasingly in the future. I think we have the knowledge. I would also just emphasise that maybe the best tribute we can pay to those who lost their lives is to learn from this tragedy and work together to reduce future risks. We will be there as a partner in that effort. Thank you.

I thank the co-chairs of the FRLD and also deeply appreciate the Norway's continued support to Nepal for the climate change and sustainable development. Now I give the floor to the Dr. Syed Mumtaz Pervez Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Affairs of Bangladesh.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset, I wish to convey Bangladesh's deepest condolences for the tragic loss of lives in the recent disaster in Nepal and China. Bangladesh stands firmly with the government and people of Nepal and China and remains in solidarity with them as they recover from its aftermath. I thank the organizers for choosing a theme that is very close to Bangladesh. Our country is located within the very mountain river delta sea system that lies at the heart of today's discussion. For Bangladesh and other countries along this mountain to sea continuum, the geography brings both opportunities and shared challenges. These river systems sustain agriculture, fisheries, freshwater ecosystems, and millions of livelihoods. They also offer important scope for regional cooperation in clean energy, water management, scientific research, disaster management, and connectivity. While extreme rainfall and floods in the upstream affect water flow, food security, and livelihoods in the downstream, sea level rise and salinity poses growing pressure on our delta and coastal communities. Again, the recent tragedy in Nepal and China is a painful reminder of how quickly hazards can turn into wider human and development losses. At the national level, Bangladesh has been strengthening resilience through long-term adaptation planning together with multi-hazard early warning and anticipatory action. However, when countries are so closely linked by shared geography, rivers, and climate systems, national efforts alone are not enough. A priority for our region, therefore, should be to strengthen cooperation on weather monitoring, hydrological data sharing, early warning and early action. Better and timely information can help others prepare faster for disasters and reduce cascading risks. This also requires stronger international support for climate resilient infrastructure, adaptation, loss and damage, technology transfer and capacity building. Nature is trying to send us a message. The planet is trying to send us a message. And this message is very simple. Stop global warming, stop carbon emission, and build unity. The question is whether we understand the importance of collective action, partnership, and this collaboration, and the message the planet is trying to send us. The Decade of Action for CRISPRic Science gives us a useful framework for deeper scientific cooperation. Keeping 1.5 degrees centigrade within reach must remain central because every additional fraction of warming increases risk across this connected system. Bangladesh would welcome taking such initiative forward as a practical platform for sustained cooperation among mountain, downstream, and coastal countries. We hope today's discussion will help build stronger and lasting partnerships around shared science, preparedness and resilience. I thank you.

Thank you. Now I would like to invite Dr. Bill Harris, CEO and Managing Director, Climate Analytics.

Thank you. Thank you, Honourable Minister, for convening this meeting. I'll be brief. Many of the things I would have liked to see have been done very well. But the climate crisis now, as we know, is here and now, and it's being measured in lives lost, communities displaced, ecosystems destabilised, development gains erased, especially for countries such as Nepal and the least developed country group. This year alone, we've seen some really extreme events. We've seen thousands of fatalities in Europe, hundreds of millions exposed to extreme heat in Asia, and now we've seen the catastrophic rock ice collapse in August in Nepal. These events are all together of a kind long predicted by the scientific community and are set to become more frequent in the future. Before going on, I'd like to add my condolences and deep sympathy to the people of Nepal for this disaster. The incident that we've just seen in Nepal will have reverberations for years to the communities affected in Nepal, and it will take them many years to rebuild. It's of a kind that is clear, I think, in terms of showing the limits to adaptation and where loss and damage starts. Now, what about the science of this? The science actually is showing that these kind of events, cascading rock disasters in high mountain regions, are going to get more frequent and more common and worse in their consequences unless we can rapidly reduce emissions. So this leads us then to the question of where we stand now on climate change and the issue of 1.5 degrees overshoot, which the United Nations Environment Programme has talked to us about. Current policies and commitments globally are far from limiting warming to 1.5, we're headed towards 2.6 degrees of warming, which means that without urgent action, we're headed towards a permanent overshoot of 1.5 degrees. Now, this doesn't weaken the importance of the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree limit, nor does it justify discussion about aiming for higher levels of warming. I think instead it calls for doubling down on action and for governments everywhere to step up and accelerate their work on the transition away from fossil fuels. Legally, morally, and in every other way, 1.5 degrees remains the only defensible legal and moral limit that we can talk about. Overshoot has three critical dimensions which link to Saguamatha. How high temperatures rise beyond 1.5 degrees, how long they remain above, 1.5 and how quickly they can decline below. This is why the objectives before us now are to take a sufficient action to limit the magnitude and duration of overshoot and return warming well below 1.5 degrees as rapidly as possible. Every 10th of a degree above every year beyond 1.5 degrees will create more and more problems. We know that countries can step up, we know the economics is there to take sufficient action. I wanted to also just take the opportunity now to appreciate Nepal's initiative on the Sagarmatha dialogue and its connection to the mountains and the sea, which others have talked eloquently about. But I think this all leads to at least four actions, which I know others have referred to, but just in a way to summarize. Firstly, we simply have to have a rapid phase out of fossil fuels while accelerating renewable energy, energy efficiency, and methane reduction. This is the only way to reduce the warming that's going on. Second, we need to strengthen mountain science through long-term observation networks, open data, regional cooperation, and adequately funded research. Third, and this is connected to the second, we need to build early warning systems that cover the full risk chains. As we've seen in Switzerland, if that's there, then we can prevent a lot of harm to people. And this is another big priority for countries like Nepal and indeed every mountain region. Finally, the international community has to deliver, and it's been just reinforcing this, accessible and predictable finance for adaptation, loss and damage quickly and efficiently. I think I can leave my comments there. I think what we've seen in Nepal is that limits to adaptation have clearly been exceeded. dramatically into a loss and damage situation. And I think the challenge before governments now is to move forward on reducing emissions and beginning the transition away from fossil fuels. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Hari, for your remarks. And now I think we are running the time. Minister is to leave very soon, I think that's why Thank you so much, all the ministers, excellencies, colleagues, for your active participations as well as your contributions. Now, I would like to hand over the floor to Mr. Amrit Bhaduri, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, for his closing remarks.

Thank you, Ambassador. Honorable ministers, excellencies, distinguished delegates, As we conclude this high-level special meeting, I wish to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the President of the General Assembly, ministers, ambassadors, and senior UN officials, and all delegates for their valuable insights and a strong spirit of solidarity and partnership for climate action. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Allow me to conclude with four clear messages from today's discussions. First, climate finance must reach the most climate vulnerable countries and communities. We need sustainable and substantially scaled up, predictable and accessible finance, particularly grant-based resources for adaptation and resilience. Second, We must prioritize early warning and early action to reach people in time. Advanced capabilities, from satellite observation to digital early warning systems, must be made accessible to developing and climate-vulnerable countries. Third, climate risk must be integrated across development and disaster risk planning, guided by our collective commitments under the Paris Agreement, COP commitments, and ICJ advisory opinions. Fourth, we must build a stronger regional and international cooperation and deeper solidarity and enhanced climate diplomacy. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, today's program is the manifestation of our deepest desire towards building a strong solidarity for climate action. Once again, let me thank you for your active and constructive engagement. Thank you. Back to you, Ambassador.