Nepal is preparing to seek billions of dollars in international support for reconstruction after catastrophic flooding, framing its appeal around climate justice and the disproportionate burden faced by countries with low greenhouse gas emissions.
Officials estimate at least $5 billion is needed for an initial five-month recovery phase, while the government has separately requested $20 million from the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund.
The disaster began after part of a Himalayan glacier collapsed on August 26, sending water and mud through Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot regions and into China's Tibet region.
At least 1,300 people have been confirmed dead and more than 5,000 remain missing across Nepal and Tibet.
The torrent destroyed more than 12 hydropower plants as well as roads, bridges, homes, cross-border trade routes and other infrastructure, with Nepal bearing the heaviest damage.
Nepal is finalising an assessment covering losses and funding requirements for temporary shelters, schools and essential infrastructure.
Its initial $5 billion estimate will be presented to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and diplomatic representatives from the United States, Britain, India, China, Japan and the European Union.
Nepalese officials argue that countries contributing relatively little to global emissions should not carry the financial burden of increasingly severe climate-related disasters alone.
President Ramchandra Paudel has called for concrete international action to ensure climate justice for ecologically vulnerable countries, while Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said support should be viewed through the lens of climate justice rather than charity.
The Finance and Environment ministries have also jointly requested $20 million from the UN's Loss and Damage Fund.
However, the fund faces a $2.8 billion financing gap as it prepares to approve its first climate recovery projects.
The international appeal is expected to gain further prominence when Prime Minister Balendra Shah addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 24.
Nepalese officials and climate advocates are expected to press for greater financial support for vulnerable developing countries, while domestic activists have also called for stronger climate resilience within Nepal's own development policies.