Climateupdated 1h ago3 min read
UN Loss And Damage Fund Agrees $20 Million Aid For Flood-Stricken Nepal
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UN loss and damage fund allocates $20 million to Nepal for flood relief. Board approved at extraordinary online meeting; Nepal asked to submit usage proposal.
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$20m for Nepal
The UN climate loss and damage fund moved to provide US$20 million in aid sought by flood-stricken Nepal, and the fund’s board agreed to earmark the sum at its first extraordinary meeting since its launch in 2022. Camila Minerva Rodriguez Tavarez, co-chair of the board, said following a virtual meeting, "Hearing no objections, the decision is so adopted." The fund’s decision did not mean Nepal would immediately receive the funding, because Nepal must first present a proposal and that proposal must be approved by the fund’s board.
The fund’s board set the aid as a test of credibility, and the AFP report said the Himalayan country was hit in August by tsunami-like floods triggered by a climate-induced ice and rock avalanche that killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,000 missing. The AFP report said the US$20 million amounts to less than 0.5% of the government’s $4.78 billion estimate for reconstruction, and it said no money has been disbursed so far.
Precedent dispute
The board of the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage agreed on Thursday to set aside $20 million to help Nepal recover from the climate-driven flood it suffered in August. Representatives of developed and developed countries were divided over whether the decision should set a precedent for the fund’s long-term way of operating. The fund is currently in a start-up phase and the board will debate its long-term model, including whether and how to rapidly disburse funds, at its next board meeting in the Philippines in December.
Germany and Czechia’s board members said it should not set a "precedent" while Japan’s representative said the decision is "truly exceptional" and that the fund's support must be "in accordance with established rule and procedure." Climate Home News said the fund is currently in a start-up phase and the board will debate its long-term model, including whether and how to rapidly disburse funds, at its next board meeting in the Philippines in December.
Nepal request and scale
The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage approved a $20 million allocation to Nepal to support relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in communities devastated by floods in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli region.
Preliminary estimates indicate that more than 60,000 people from around 15,000 households were directly affected, and around 1,500 people reportedly lost their lives while more than 5,000 remain missing.
Ratopati said the board’s special meeting held on Thursday, Kartik 5, decided to provide Nepal 20 million US dollars, and it said the assistance was for the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of communities affected by the flood in the BhoteKoshi-Trishuli region.
Ratopati said Minister of Agriculture, Forests, and Environment Gita Chaudhary and Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle jointly wrote a letter to the fund on August 31 to expedite assistance for the flood-affected communities in the BhoteKoshi-Trishuli region.
Ratopati said the board’s special meeting held on Thursday, Kartik 5, decided to provide Nepal 20 million US dollars, and it said the assistance was for the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of communities affected by the flood in the BhoteKoshi-Trishuli region.