More than 165 nations including Nepal formally adopt the Paris Agreement on climate change that aims to limit the global warming below 2 degree Celsius , in New York on Friday.

With the record signing, the first step has been taken towards combating climate change. This was made possible by the Paris Agreement reached during the 21st Conference of Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in December last year in Paris.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa signed the agreement on behalf of Nepal at a ceremony opened to the parties to the UNFCCC. The meeting was convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The Paris Agreement on climate change will come into implementation post 2020, after the expiry of Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding agreement to fight climate change.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the high-level thematic debate on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Thapa said Nepal was acutely aware of the immense impediments to the sustainability of the country’s development, such as landlockedness, climate change, natural disasters, shortfall in capacities and weak means-of-implementation.

He also said that most Least Developed Countries have remained LDCs for too long while smallest and weakest countries continue to bear the weight of action and inaction of others, especially in climate change.

Nepal participated in the Paris Climate Conference, advocating for a legally binding agreement to keep global warming for 1.5 degrees Celsius, adequate emissions reduction commitments from the developed countries by adopting the legally binding agreement, and sharing responsibilities on the basis of the principles of equity and justice based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.