KATHMANDU: Nepal’s government has filed a formal request with the United Nations’ Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage after the Bhote Koshi flood, triggered by a glacial collapse upstream, killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands more unaccounted for. The Ministry of Finance sent an urgent letter on September 1, warning that the scale of destruction, put at USD four to seven billion dollars, is far beyond what Nepal’s own resources can absorb.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has gone further in public remarks, telling that Nepal’s emissions are negligible and demanding that top emitting nations such as China, the United States and India accept responsibility.

It is Nepal’s first claim on the fund since it came into existence, and it arrives at a moment when the fund itself has yet to pay out a single dollar to anyone.

What exactly has Nepal asked for, and through which channel?

The Nepal government sent two related but distinct communications. The first is a letter from the Ministry of Finance to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, known by its acronym FRLD, requesting emergency financial assistance to cope with the Bhote Koshi flood. Finance Ministry officials describe this as a request for a special decision, since the fund’s board does not have losses of this scale on its regular December agenda.

The second communication is a broader climate compensation claim letter sent to Nepal’s international partners, separate from the FRLD process, arguing that major greenhouse gas emitters bear historical responsibility. Foreign Minister Khanal has described this as a shift in diplomatic posture, moving away from framing international support as aid or charity and instead describing it as a matter of legal and moral liability. https://english.nepalnews.com/s/explainers/bhote-koshi-flood-can-nepal-get-compensation-from-the-un-backed-loss-and-damage-fund/

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