Kathmandu. The emergency resolution related to climate-related disasters presented by Nepal has been passed with a two-thirds majority in the 153rd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) being held in Arusha, Tanzania.
The emergency agenda titled ‘Urgent Parliamentary action to strengthen resilience and resilience to climate-related disasters in the Himalayan region and other vulnerable areas’, tabled by Nepali Parliament Speaker Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal, received a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.
On this occasion, Speaker Aryal described the Himalayas as the common heritage of humanity and the ‘water tower’ of Asia and said that due to climate change, the increasing threat to the Himalayas, glaciers and ice caps is becoming a challenge for the entire human civilization.
Referring to the recent climate-related disasters faced by Nepal, he said that climate justice and parliamentary accountability require shared responsibility and cooperation among the world’s parliaments.
Aryal said that the passing of Nepal’s resolution by the General Assembly is not only the responsibility of Nepal, but also the shared responsibility of all the member countries and parliamentarians of the IPU. He stressed on making parliamentary climate diplomacy more effective to deal with climate-related disasters.
The proposal focuses on creating the necessary legal framework to ensure cross-border access to climate and weather-related early warning systems and technologies among member states.
Along with this, the need to make the executive of the concerned countries accountable at the parliamentary level for the implementation of climate related commitments has also been raised in the proposal.
Speaker Aryal called on the world community to develop shared solutions for safety, justice and a secure future for people affected by climate disasters, rather than shifting blame.
Speaker Aryal had sought support from members of the General Assembly with the aim of securing the two-thirds majority required to include the emergency resolution on the agenda.
vote on motion
– in favor of: 901 votes
– In opposition: 78 votes
– neutral: 140 votes
In accordance with Rule 11(b) of the IPU General Assembly, if more than one emergency motion achieves the required majority, the motion receiving the highest number of affirmative votes is placed on the agenda.
Under this system, Nepal’s proposal which received the most positive votes was chosen as the emergency topic. Now Nepal’s proposal will be discussed under the emergency agenda of the 153rd General Assembly of IPU.
The discussion will discuss challenges posed by climate-related disasters, conservation of the Himalayas and glaciers, disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, technical and financial cooperation and necessary parliamentary initiatives to enhance resilience in risk areas.