Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah to address UN General Assembly on September 24

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to address the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, in his first foreign trip since taking office on March 27.

The UN’s official speaking schedule places Shah’s address in the afternoon. His appearance comes as Nepal seeks international support after floods killed more than 1,300 people and left thousands missing.

The government had initially planned for Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal to lead Nepal’s delegation. That plan changed after the August 26 disaster in the country’s northern Himalayan region, where a glacial collapse and landslide triggered floods along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors.

Government officials said Shah decided to attend personally to highlight the disaster’s scale and seek assistance for rescue, relief and reconstruction. The Prime Minister’s Office instructed the Foreign Ministry to begin preparations for the visit.

Khanal is expected to arrive in New York before Shah, hold bilateral meetings with foreign officials and take part in other high-level events on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Foreign ministry officials said Shah’s delegation would be small and his visit brief, with limited engagements beyond the address and several high-level meetings.