Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah appealed to the UN for grant-based aid to recover from a glacier flood that killed at least 1,450 people and left over 6,000 missing. The disaster's reconstruction needs are estimated at 10% of the country's GDP, and Shah urged vulnerable nations not to incur more debt for climate-driven catastrophes.
The disaster highlights the increasing financial burden on developing nations facing climate-driven catastrophes and the need for international cooperation on disaster preparedness and response.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah appealed for grant-based international aid at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to help the Himalayan nation recover from a devastating glacier flood. The disaster, which occurred four weeks prior near the border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region, killed at least 1,450 people and left over 6,000 missing, destroying critical infrastructure and hindering development progress.
Speaking in New York, Shah emphasized that vulnerable countries should not be burdened with additional debt to rebuild from climate-driven catastrophes. He estimated Nepal's recovery and reconstruction needs at approximately 10% of its gross domestic product. Shah also called for enhanced cooperation between Nepal, India, and China on climate resilience, advocating for a shared Himalayan mechanism for satellite data, glacial lake monitoring, early-warning systems, and coordinated disaster response.
The World Bank announced earlier this week that it would provide up to $170 million in emergency financing to support Nepal's disaster response and recovery efforts.
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