Nepal, Sept. 23 -- Prime Minister Balendra Shah left for New York on Tuesday to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, with the devastating Bhotekoshi flood and Nepal's demand for climate justice set to dominate his brief mission.

Shah departed Kathmandu on Tuesday evening aboard a Qatar Airways flight via Doha, leading a Nepali delegation to the high-level week of the UN General Assembly. He is scheduled to address the General Debate on September 24 and meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his stay.

The prime minister's decision to attend the UNGA came after the government had initially planned to send only Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal to New York. The August 26 Bhotekoshi disaster, however, pr...