KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 15 Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called for greater international cooperation to reduce and manage risks and disasters linked to climate change, saying that addressing its impacts is a shared responsibility of the global community. In a message to the Gharapajhong Climate Change Convention-2026, which began in Mustang on Tuesday, Shah stressed the need for collective action to address the growing challenges posed by climate change. According to his message, the prime minister will highlight the problems, losses and damages Nepal has suffered due to climate change, as well as possible solutions, during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He is also expected to draw national and international attention to the impacts of climate change across Nepal's Himalayan, hilly and Tarai regions. The message noted that rising global temperatures have accelerated glacier melt and the break-up of ice formations, increased glacial river flows, dried up water sources and contributed to unpredictable weather patterns. These changes have increasingly affected livelihoods, agriculture and biodiversity, particularly in the Himalayan region. Welcoming the convention being held in Jomsom, the headquarters of Mustang, Shah called for stronger coordination among federal, provincial and local governments in tackling climate-related challenges. Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Gita Chaudhary inaugurated the two-day convention, organised by Gharapjhong Rural Municipality. The event has brought together chiefs of all 753 local governments and representatives of all 77 District Coordination Committees to discuss climate risks and their impacts. Participants will also review the loss of lives and property caused by the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa. The convention is being held as Nepal continues to deal with the aftermath of the disaster, in which an avalanche-triggered flood swept through the Bhotekoshi River and into the Trishuli, causing extensive loss of life and property.