Nepal seeks $20 million from UN climate loss and damage fund after glacier flood

September 22, 2026 at 08:04 PM2 min

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Nepal has applied for $20 million from the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage after a glacier collapse on 26 August killed more than 1,400 people. The application cites a rapid science review linking the disaster to July–August temperature extremes. Nepal is one of 120 countries awaiting a board decision, with the next meeting not until December.

Key Facts

More than 1,400 people were killed and about 6,000 are missing after the 26 August glacier collapse and flood in Nepal.
Nepal has applied for the maximum $20 million from the UN Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
The fund's board considered four applications at its July meeting but made no decision; the next meeting is in December.
Applications totalling $2.8 billion far exceed the $250 million available, though more than $800 million had been pledged as of March.
The loss and damage fund was established in 2022 and spearheaded by the late Bangladeshi climate scientist Saleemul Huq.

The Disaster

A glacier collapsed on 26 August, triggering floods that wiped out entire villages in Nepal. More than 1,400 people were killed and some 6,000 are missing. A rapid science review released last week concludes that exceptionally higher than average temperatures during July and August contributed to destabilizing an already geologically vulnerable region.

Funding Application

A representative of Nepal's government is reported to have said that it will cite the study in an application for funding from the special United Nations Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. Nepal has applied for US$20 million, the maximum amount available, to help pay for some of the costs of immediate recovery and to help prepare for future climate events. The country joins another 119 that are waiting for a decision from the fund to pay for climate losses and damages. Applications began to be accepted at the end of 2025, and so far four have been considered by the fund's board at its last meeting in July, but no decision has been made. The next meeting is not until December.

Fund Background

The loss and damage fund was established in 2022, spearheaded by the late Saleemul Huq, a climate scientist from Bangladesh. It resulted from a decades-long effort by some of the lowest-income countries to achieve a degree of climate justice, based on the 'polluter pays' principle. The applications that have been made total $2.8 billion, far exceeding the $250-million pot that is available, although more than $800 million had been pledged as of March. The largest climate fund is the Green Climate Fund, based in Incheon, South Korea, which supports countries aiming to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and build climate-resilient infrastructure.