Kathmandu, Sept. 25 -- Prime Minister Balendra Shah used his first address to the UN General Assembly in New York to put Nepal's recent floods at the centre of a broader argument about climate change and the international order.

He took the podium at the 81st United Nations General Assembly and talked directly about disaster, not diplomacy. His first international appearance as head of government came hot on the heels of the Bhotekoshi floods last month, giving him a recent and deeply consequential event around which to frame his message.

"The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster was not just a local tragedy, it was a warning to the world," he said, as he posed a profound question before world leaders: "I ask you today: Have we really heard tha...