Kathmandu, May 6 -- British ambassador to Nepal Nicola Pollitt arrived in Nepal 15 months ago, and much of her time here has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic. She spoke to Nepali Timesthis week about dealing simultaneously with Covid-19 and the climate crisis, girls' education and women leaders, and the UK's commitment to the COVAX vaccine initiative. Excerpts:

Nepali Times:How has your journey as a diplomat been, and the challenge you had to face to reach this point?

Nicola Pollitt:I have been in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for 18 years, but when I started I hadn't envisioned being an ambassador. However, it seemed like an interesting career and one, which had an international outlook.

I took up the j...