COP31: Nepal fails to get Himalayan climate agenda included; major leaders skip Antalya summit

A proposal by Nepal, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan to include mountain climate change as a separate agenda item at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) has failed to secure a place on the formal list of discussions, after it did not receive sufficient backing from developed nations.

The summit began on Monday in Antalya, Türkiye, with several world leaders in attendance. However, the absence of prominent figures, including US President Donald Trump and leaders from major European economies, has also drawn attention.

Nepal and Bhutan had jointly submitted a proposal titled “1.5°C Warming in Mountains”, while Kyrgyzstan sought to establish an annual dialogue on mountains and climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Neither proposal was accepted as a separate formal agenda item.

The setback came despite Nepal's efforts to build a broader coalition of mountain countries and bring the growing climate vulnerabilities of the Hindu Kush Himalaya into mainstream international climate negotiations.

According to the Kathmandu Post, the issue has become particularly urgent for Nepal following the August 26 mountain collapse and subsequent floods and landslides in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river system, which caused widespread destruction across several districts.

Addressing the COP31 plenary, Khanal said more than 1,400 people had lost their lives and over 5,000 remained missing. Critical infrastructure was swept away within minutes, while reconstruction costs were estimated at around one-tenth of Nepal's entire economy.

“Nepal comes here seeking climate justice,” Khanal told delegates, arguing that the country contributes negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions but faces severe consequences of climate change.

“After the disaster we received an outpouring of sympathy. This is the time to put sympathy into the system. Promises into action,” he was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.

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Trump, Macron, Xi among major leaders skipping COP31

Meanwhile, the absence of several major world leaders has become a talking point at the summit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among those attending.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also expected in Antalya. However, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are skipping the summit. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are also absent from the latest list of attendees.

The United States, under President Trump, has been critical of international climate efforts and has again chosen not to participate. For the second consecutive year, the country has stayed away from the global climate summit. The New York Times noted that the world's largest economy and the biggest historical contributor to planet-warming emissions had refused to take part in the international effort to slow climate change.

The leaders of other major economies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, are also skipping the summit. Their countries, however, have sent delegations to COP31.