Nepal fully committed to sustainable development: PL

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 10: Minister for Population and Environment P. L. Singh has said that Nepal remains committed to reduce widespread poverty by promoting sustainable development.

Addressing the 5th SAARC Environment Ministers' Conference in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan today, Minister Singh said "at present, we are focusing to strengthen the environmental institutions, promote a balance between the overall economic development and the environment, and develop human resources so as to provide backstopping facilities to the people."

Singh said the Ministry of Population and Environment is currently engaged in inter alia, strengthening environmental administration, implementing environmental policies and laws and several programmes with the active participation of the local bodies, NGOs, CBOs and the private sector.

Minister Singh said that Nepal has made remarkable progress in mobilising the community user groups for the conservation and management of forests, soil, water, and protected areas' buffer zones.
"We will be pleased to share such experiences with our partners in users mobilisation for natural resource management," he added.

"We have also recently established a national commission on sustainable development," he said, adding the commission, chaired by no less a person than the Prime Minister, will contribute to promote environment-friendly economic development.

The previous decision of the meetings of the SAARC environmental ministers, and technical committee on environment, meteorology and forestry have been instrumental in guiding our environmental actions, he remarked.

Minister Singh said the need for strengthening partnership with the environmental institutions of this region is of particular significance in dealing with problems of land degradation, environmental pollution-air and water, trans-boundary movement of hazardous wasters, invasive alien species, flood forecasting and disaster preparedness, etc.

Minister Singh suggested implementation of a project on strengthening environmental assessment and monitoring capabilities in South Asia (SEAMCAP) to prepare a national and South Asia state of the environment report, recommendations of the consultation meeting of the stakeholder and the governments on world summit in sustainable development, Male declaration on control and prevention of air pollution and its likely trans-boundary effects for South Asia, action for sustainable management of mountain environment, development of concrete action programmes for implementation of multilateral environment agreements and development of regional treaty on environment.

Minister Singh hoped that these issues and other important issues specified in the agenda will receive serious consideration during deliberations, and will be able to make fruitful recommendations, which will go a long way on helping to protect our environment for today and tomorrow.

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