Kathmandu, May 11 -- Nepal could lose between a week and a month's progress in the Human Development Index due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, as the country remains heavily exposed to external demand shocks, remittance inflows and imported inputs, according to a United Nations Development Programme report.

The preliminary assessment report, titled Military Escalation in the Middle East: Human Development Impacts Across Asia and the Pacific, published in mid-April, warns that Nepal and Pakistan face some of the highest risks of cumulative human development losses if the conflict persists.

The report says Nepal's food security pressures could worsen due to a decline in remittance income as weaker Gulf economies reduce household pur...