Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has criticised what he described as an international system that allows military equipment to cross borders quickly while essential goods such as fertiliser and fuel remain difficult to obtain.
Addressing the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, Shah said a farmer in Nepal could struggle to obtain fertiliser or fuel at the time they are needed, while missiles, rifles and ammunition cross borders and meet deadlines.
“We have built a world with flawless logistics for war and broken logistics for food,” he said.
Shah said the problem was not unique to Nepal, specifically naming Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as countries in the region facing similar pressures.
“Ask Sri Lanka,” he said, adding that countries across the region had been “hit by the climate we did not warm, and hit again by the wars we did not start.”
He linked the issue to wider concerns over climate change, global supply chains and inequality, arguing that countries with fewer resources should not bear disproportionate consequences for crises they did not create.
Shah also called for stronger international cooperation on climate resilience and climate finance, saying vulnerable countries need faster access to support when disasters strike. (Newswire)