On top of that is our own unsustainable living that is creating large-scale havoc on the planet. They include construction of large dams, roads, and tunnels in the fragile Himalayan region. These activities together with the melting of glaciers due to global warming are bound to create worse natural disasters in the coming years.
The regional opportunity is particularly significant in electricity. Nepal and Bhutan can potentially export hydropower; India can provide the scale of demand and investment required to create a regional electricity market; Bangladesh can become an important electricity consumer; and Sri Lanka and Pakistan can expand solar and wind. Greater cross-border electricity trade could allow countries to exploit complementary renewable resources and reduce the need for expensive domestic backup capacity.
A genuinely regional approach could eventually include - besides Nepal, China and India - Bhutan and, where relevant, downstream institutions in Bangladesh. Organisations with established Himalayan expertise, particularly the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, could offer scientific and institutional support.
The Himalayas are not collapsing because humanity exists, but humanity is creating a warmer world in which the Himalayas are becoming less predictable. The real question is no longer whether climate change will alter the mountains. It already is.
A draft resolution titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was tabled on Tuesday in the ongoing 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to which Sri Lanka reacted strongly, and called the member states to reject any country-specific resolution
India on Tuesday said that the human rights agenda faces severe challenges mostly due to Pakistan's cross-border terrorism
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday listed four priority areas for the international community to address the risks that climate crisis poses to peace and security, including putting a greater focus on prevention through strong, ambitious climate action
The Sri Lankan government expressed its readiness to face a resolution against it before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, reported Colombopage
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked the international community on Thursday to act immediately to stop, what he alleged as Indian state-sponsored terrorism and religious discrimination in the South Asia region
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar denounced "vaccine nationalism" on Wednesday and called for putting the world on guard against future pandemics
Pakistan has opposed the addition of new permanent members to the UN Security Council (UNSC), warning of compounding the Council's inequality and dysfunctionality, Radio Pakistan reported Wednesday
Pakistan has once again raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations and said that political issues needed political solutions for conflict resolution, reported Dawn
As the leading troops and police-contributing country to various UN peacekeeping missions, Bangladesh has called for better preparedness for the safety and security of UN peacekeepers, reported The Daily Star
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Sri Lanka welcome a funding of CAD 1 million (LKR 151 million) from Global Affairs Canada to help smallholder farmers cultivate nutritious crops for the National School Meal Programme
A 34-year-old Canadian woman of Indian descent has announced a challenge to the re-election of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with an agenda of change, but without the support of any country
Pakistan has called upon UN Security Council Sanctions Committee to initiate action against Indian sponsored terrorism against Pakistan
Bangladesh Army chief General Aziz Ahmed, who held several meetings with senior United Nations officials during a state visit to the United States, reiterated Bangladesh's 'unwavering commitment' and 'continued support' for UN peacekeeping operations, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said that it was unacceptable that governments continue to build polluting economies
Bangladesh's Chief of Army staff, General Aziz Ahmed, has called upon the United Nations for deployment of more Bangladeshi peacekeepers in peacekeeping missions across the globe
