In the Nepal Civil Society Conference for the Summit of the Future held today in Lalitpur, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba lauded the civil society’s role in the country’s overall development. Minister Rana said Nepal has accorded importance to the ‘Summit of the Future’ to be held along with the upcoming United Nations General Assembly and preparations are underway for the participation of the Prime Minister of Nepal in the summit.

In the National reviews of the SDGs at the high level held in New York, the Voluntary National Review reports that Nepal’s 40% of the SDG targets are on track, underscoring the need to intensify efforts to meet SDG goals.

Dr Arzu Rana stressed that Nepal stands for global good governance, the rule of law, the promotion of multilateralism and international solidarity. Nepal is preparing to graduate to the status of a developing country from the Least Developed Country (LDC Status) by 2026 and a Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) has been formulated for this.

Minister Rana added that the role of civil society was also important in making the plan for LDC graduation irreversible and sustainable, hence, civil society has a significant role in the socio-economic development of Nepali society. She suggested civil societies advocate more on the issue of reducing the risk of climate change at national and international forums.

By Sweta Singh (Kathmandu)