ANTALYA, Nov 12: Nepal has reaffirmed its commitment to the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR), pledging to ensure climate finance reaches vulnerable communities and supports locally led adaptation.
Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Geeta Chaudhary said LIFE-AR offers an opportunity to change how climate action is planned, financed and implemented, rather than serving merely as a funding mechanism.
Speaking at the official launch of the LIFE-AR Facility on November 11 during the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, she highlighted Nepal’s vulnerability to climate change despite its negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Recalling the devastating disaster in the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi region on August 26, 2026, described as a “Mountain Tsunami”, Chaudhary said preliminary estimates put the death toll at 1,457, with 5,285 people missing. Around 15,000 households, representing 60,000 people, were directly affected.
She cited a preliminary assessment by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), which estimated that Nepal needs USD 4.78 billion for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of its GDP.
The disaster destroyed settlements, displaced communities and caused losses to cultural, social and natural assets, some of which cannot be measured in monetary terms, she said.
Warning that such disasters could recur as temperatures rise, particularly in mountain regions, Chaudhary called for timely, predictable and additional grant based climate finance, along with technical capacity, climate information services and early warning systems.
She said Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding with LIFE-AR on May 8, 2026, and is now working towards establishing the facility.
Chaudhary said Nepal aims to strengthen local governments and institutions, empower communities and ensure climate funding delivers direct benefits to those most affected.
She thanked the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) for supporting the initiative and endorsed the transition towards an LDC-managed facility.
Nepal will host the 15th LIFE-AR Board Meeting in Kathmandu next year. Chaudhary invited participating countries to visit Nepal’s pavilion at COP31, where thematic events will showcase mountain ecosystems, climate vulnerabilities and community livelihoods.
She reaffirmed Nepal’s commitment to working with LDCs and LIFE-AR partners to ensure climate action reaches vulnerable communities.
People’s News Monitoring Servicie
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