Nepalese PM Balendra Shah Slams Global Logistics at UN General Assembly

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah has slammed the current global system, saying it allows weapons to be moved efficiently but leaves poorer countries struggling to secure food, fuel, and other essentials for their populations.

“We have built a world with flawless logistics for war and broken logistics for food,” Shah told the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

The rapper-turned-politician pointed to the shortages his country has faced amid conflicts and geopolitical tensions disrupting supply chains, saying farmers have struggled to obtain fertilizer, road projects lacked bitumen, and families faced shortages of cooking fuel.

“Inter-continental missiles arrive on time. Rifles and ammunition cross borders, clear every bottleneck, meet each deadline,” Shah, who was elected to Nepal’s top job earlier this year following ‘Gen Z’ protests against corruption, told the assembled world leaders. “But a peasant in Nepal cannot procure his fertilizer or fuel at market price at a time of need.”

He argued that the problem extends beyond his country, specifically pointing to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as regional states facing pressures from climate shocks and conflicts.

Nepal is recovering from catastrophic flash floods that were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Tibetan border on August 26. The wall of water, mud, and rock tore through mountain communities, killing at least 1,400 people and leaving more than 6,000 missing. Nepal estimates its physical recovery needs at around 10% of its gross domestic product.

The prime minister described the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster as a “warning to the world,” saying a warming climate is destabilizing the Himalayan ecology and increasing the risks of avalanches, floods, and landslides. The devastation affected both sides of the Nepal-China border before floodwaters continued downstream toward India.