Prime Minister Balendra Shah will lead the Nepali delegation to the UN General Assembly, where he will highlight the scale of disasters that have hit the country recently.

The decision comes amid a growing desire among lawmakers, ministers and leaders of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party for Shah to personally present Nepal’s case before world leaders at the annual UN gathering, according to informed sources.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has instructed the foreign ministry’s United Nations and Chief of Protocol divisions, as well as Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, to begin preparations for the visit.

The visit will be short, a foreign ministry official told the Post. “We have started the groundwork for the prime minister-led delegation.”

The Prime Minister’s Office has instructed the ministry to prepare a small delegation.

As the instruction was just received, it has not yet been decided who will accompany the prime minister, the official said.

The Cabinet had decided on August 19 to send Khanal to New York for the event. But the deadly Bhotekoshi flood of August 26, which caused a massive loss of life and affected more than 1.6 million people mainly in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, intensified calls for Shah to draw global attention to the growing climate risks facing the Himalayan region.

The formal opening of the 81st session is scheduled for September 8, while the high-level General Debate begins on September 22. Shah has not made a foreign visit since taking charge as the executive head on March 27.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum on Thursday urged Shah to attend the Assembly and raise Nepal’s concerns over climate change and its growing impact on the Himalayan region.

Manish Jha of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and Barshman Pun of the Nepali Communist Party were among those who urged Shah to go to New York.

“Global carbon emissions, climate change and rising global temperatures are increasing disasters in the Himalayan region,” Pun said. “The world is listening to this message today.”

Pun urged the government to take the issue to international forums, saying that Nepal should use the UN platform to seek greater international support and compensation.

“Simply raising this issue from here is not enough. The prime minister should go to the United Nations and other international forums, appeal to the world, assert our rights and demand compensation,” Pun said. “All political parties are united on this issue.”

Shah himself had called for greater international attention to the climate risks facing Nepal while briefing the House of Representatives on Wednesday on the losses caused by the Bhotekoshi disaster and the government’s response. He urged the international community to recognise the August 26 flood as a warning of the growing risks confronting the Himalayan region.