Kathmandu, April 27

President Bidya Devi Bhandari addressed the Leaders’ Roundtable of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing today.

Speaking on the theme of ‘Promoting Green and Sustainable Development to Implement the UN 2030 Agenda’, the president drew the attention of world leaders to the adverse impacts of climate change and emphasised the need to develop clean energy and low-carbon pathways of development through research-based solutions, said a press release issued by Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.

Expressing the view that realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was possible only through enhanced cooperation among nations, President Bhandari stated that the objectives of development and prosperity as emphasised by the Belt and Road Initiative closely corresponded to the Sustainable Development Goals for achieving transformative, inclusive and equitable development outcomes.

The president said the Belt and Road Initiative was emerging as a key driver for poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure building and industrial transformation.

She also expressed confidence that BRI would support the process of economic transformation in Nepal by expanding connectivity networks and supporting the country’s economic integration into the global market.

The Second Belt and Road Forum concluded in Beijing today with the release of a joint communiqué titled ‘Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future’. In the communiqué, leaders from participating countries expressed support for building on the progress made in developing economic corridors and economic and trade cooperation zones in various countries, including the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network and Nepal-China cross-border railway.

The leaders vowed to support policies and activities that helped landlocked countries transform into land-linked ones, by strengthening connectivity and co-operation on transit arrangements and infrastructure.

They also highlighted the importance of special and differential treatment in international trade for developing countries and reaffirmed their commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Chief Minister of Province 3 Dor Mani Paudel and other officials were present on the occasion.

In the evening, President Bhandari attended a welcome reception hosted in her honour at the Embassy of Nepal by Ambassador Leela Mani Paudyal.

On behalf of the president, the foreign minister spoke on the importance of the first-ever state visit of the president of Nepal to China and expressed hope that the visit would add a new chapter in expanding and consolidating the already-warm and cordial ties and cooperative partnership between the two countries. He urged the Nepali community of China to contribute to the development of Nepal through their knowledge and skills.

Ambassador Paudyal delivered a welcome statement.

Members of the president’s delegation and Nepali nationals from different walks of life living in China attended the event.