UN Secretary-General visiting Everest region today

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who is currently on an official visit to Nepal, is scheduled to make an observation tour of the Sagarmatha (Everest) region today. After that he will leave for Pokhara in the afternoon.

The UN high official will leave for the Everest region on a Nepali Army helicopter depending on the weather and he will converse with the locals there on topics related to how the climate change has affected their daily lives, it is stated.

After returning from the Everest region, the Secretary-General will hold a meeting with the UN team in Nepal at the UN House in Lalitpur, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. Following this, he will leave for Pokhara in the afternoon.

Secretary-General Guterres is accompanied by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Mr Jean Pierre Lacroix, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations to Nepal Ms Hanaa Singer-Hamdy and other officials from the UN Headquarters in New York and the United Nations country team in Nepal.

The UN dignitary arrived here at 1 am on Sunday in connection with his four-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'.

On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres called on President Ramchandra Paudel at Shital Niwas and exchanged views on matters of long-standing partnership between Nepal and the United Nations.

Earlier the same day, the Secretary-General had a meeting with Prime Minister Dahal at his office in Singh Durbar. Following the meeting, Prime Minister and the Secretary-General briefly addressed the media.

Secretary-General Guterres also held a meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire in the afternoon on Sunday. Matters relating to Nepal-UN relations were featured during the discussion.

Earlier the same day, the Secretary-General had separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka, and Minister for Foreign Affairs N P Saud in Singh Durbar. Various aspects of Nepal-UN relations and co-operations were discussed during these meetings.

Secretary-General Guterres also held separate meetings with former Prime Minister and President of Nepali Congress Party Sher Bahadur Deuba and former Prime Minister and leader of the main opposition Party in the House of Representatives, K P Sharma Oli on Sunday afternoon.

The Secretary-General also visited Patan Durbar Square, the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Later in the evening, Prime Minister Dahal ‘Prachanda’ hosted an official banquet in honour of the Secretary- General of the United Nations Guterres and his delegation.

In course of the visit, the UN Secretary-General will also be going to the Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini.

He is also scheduled to address the joint sitting of the Federal Parliament on October 31, Tuesday, according to the Federal Parliament Secretariat.

Secretary-General Guterres will leave Kathmandu on November 1, wrapping up his visit to Nepal.