Nepal requests climate aid from UN fund following disaster
Tuesday, 1 September 2026 11:51
The government of Nepal has requested urgent financial assistance from the UN climate finance fund (FRLD – Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage) following the deadly Bhotekoshi flood on August 26, as the destruction exceeds the country's response capacity.
The FRLD is a UN climate finance mechanism tasked with assisting particularly vulnerable developing countries when climate change damage has already occurred or can no longer be avoided through adaptation measures.
The letter, a copy of which was seen by The Kathmandu Post, was signed by Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Minister of Forests and Agriculture Geeta Chaudhary. The government is asking the fund's board to make an emergency decision to respond quickly, directly, and effectively.
The letter states that the flash flood hit the Bhotekoshi river basin, causing loss of life, displacement of residents, destruction of homes and essential infrastructure, and disruptions to basic services, livelihoods, markets, and connections in downstream communities.
“The full extent of the economic and non-economic loss and damage is yet to be determined, but preliminary information indicates that the consequences are extensive and exceed Nepal's immediate response capacity,” the letter reads.
Maheshwar Dhakal, a senior official at Nepal's Ministry of Forests and a member of the fund's board, said the letter does not specify the actual extent of the damages and that the financial aid must be decided by the board. According to him, Nepal wants a response before the board's next meeting, scheduled for December 10, and this is the first time the country has requested support from this fund.
The FRLD was established in 2022 at the COP27 climate conference and operationalized at COP28. Nepal describes itself as a least developed and highly climate-vulnerable mountainous country that makes a negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions but bears a disproportionately large burden of their impacts.
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