Nepal and Australia discuss flood recovery and bilateral cooperation at the UN, with talks covering disaster response, reconstruction and efforts to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Nepal and Australia have discussed flood recovery efforts and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a meeting between their foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal held talks with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the UN Headquarters. The discussions covered Nepal-Australia relations and issues of mutual interest, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Khanal briefed Wong on the loss of lives and property caused by the recent devastating floods in Nepal, along with the government’s ongoing rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. He also expressed appreciation for the international community’s support and solidarity following the disaster.
The meeting comes after severe flooding and landslides struck Nepal’s northern border areas in August, causing significant damage to infrastructure and leaving many people unaccounted for. Australia has been supporting Nepal’s emergency response, including through specialist personnel involved in search, rescue and recovery operations.
Australia deployed a 15-member Disaster Assistance Response Team with specialist drone operators from Fire and Rescue New South Wales and the Queensland Fire Department following a request from the Nepalese government. The team was tasked with using drone technology for rapid mapping and imaging to support search operations. Australia also deployed additional humanitarian, consular, police and defence personnel.
Australia’s humanitarian assistance package for Nepal has reached A$11 million, according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The assistance includes support for locally led recovery, food and logistics, emergency water and sanitation, essential household supplies and other humanitarian requirements.
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Beyond the immediate disaster response, the two foreign ministers discussed strengthening the longstanding relationship between Nepal and Australia and expanding bilateral cooperation into additional areas. The talks build on the countries’ broader bilateral consultation mechanism, which has previously covered climate resilience, green economy, water resource management, agricultural research, trade, tourism, hydropower investment and education and research cooperation.
The latest meeting therefore combines immediate flood-recovery concerns with longer-term efforts to expand Nepal-Australia cooperation across development, climate resilience and other areas of mutual interest.