Nov 01, Kathmandu - Nepal will urge the Loss and Damage Fund to provide climate-affected communities with easier access to support, faster disbursements and adequate grants for recovery and reconstruction.

In its position paper for the UN climate conference COP31, which begins November 9 in Antalya, Türkiye, Nepal highlights mounting risks in mountain regions and calls for international assistance to address both economic and non-economic losses.

Nepal will also push to formally operationalize the fund’s rapid-response mechanism. It says least developed countries need simplified, immediate access to funding after disasters, including direct budget support for urgent recovery and rebuilding.

The country describes the Fund Board’s allocation of US$21.6 million to Nepal following the Bhotekoshi floods as an important milestone. However, the money has not yet been disbursed. According to Nepal’s position paper, the ministries of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, and Finance submitted a proposal to the Fund’s secretariat on August 31, 2026.

The government has pledged to work with the secretariat to finalize project implementation guidelines and ensure transparent progress. Nepal says reconstruction must be linked to long-term, resilient livelihoods and must ensure affected communities receive assistance on time.

The paper says the Bhotekoshi floods affected around 60,000 people, with 1,453 deaths and more than 5,000 people missing. Property losses are estimated at US$2.68 billion, while reconstruction could cost US$4.78 billion. Nepal argues that the funding allocated so far is insufficient relative to the scale of the damage.

Nepal will call on countries to fulfil outstanding pledges to the Fund and develop a strategy to ensure long-term financing. It will also seek clearer recognition of mountain hazards—including glacial melt, glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and extreme rainfall—in international assessments and climate-finance criteria.

The country’s position will further advocate including damage to cultural heritage, mental and psychosocial well-being, education and biodiversity in assessments of climate-related loss and damage.

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, led by Joint Secretary and climate expert Dr. Maheshwar Dahal, is scheduled to travel to Türkiye tomorrow to prepare for Nepal’s participation at COP31.