Have We Heard The Warning? Nepal PM Balendra Shah’s Urgent Message At UNGA After Himalayan Disaster

Last Updated:September 25, 2026, 2:09 PM IST

Policy experts say Nepal’s appeal at UNGA underscores the daunting challenge posed by climate change, and will test the global resolve to assist the most vulnerable countries.

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Delivering his maiden address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah called for a Himalaya Climate Resilience Mechanism, led by Nepal, India and China to tackle the increasing threats from the rapid warming in the Hindu Kush Himalayas.

While he thanked India and China for the prompt assistance post the Bhotekoshi floods, Shah said the new mechanism will help to share satellite data and expertise during such disasters. “Let us monitor dangerous glacial lakes. Let us strengthen joint early warning systems, and when disaster strikes, let us coordinate assistance across borders. The Himalayas should become a laboratory of international cooperation rather than a frontier of fragmented information,” he said.

Nepal is struggling to recover from the devastation caused on August 26, with 1,400 dead and over 6,000 people still unaccounted for. According to the government, physical recovery will require about 10 per cent of its GDP. Highlighting that Nepal did not create this crisis, but still paying for it, the Nepal PM urged the international community to act on Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC). It is a global principle which asks all countries to fight climate change, but insists that developed countries have a greater responsibility since they caused more historical emissions and have more resources to deal with it.

“We are not here to turn climate change into another geopolitical battlefield. We are here to ask everyone to recommit to shared responsibility and solidarity through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Those who have historically contributed more to the problem, and those with greater capacity to respond must do more,” he appealed.

Reiterating the demand for climate justice, Shah said Nepal needs adequate grant-based support. “The loss and damage fund, the global environment facility, and other financing mechanisms remain grossly inadequate. When the house is burning, we do not ask [our] family to complete 50 forms. We act,” he said.

While Nepal has suffered a loss of more than $5 billion, the country had sought $20 million from the Loss and Damage Fund. A decision on Nepal’s request is likely be taken up at the next meeting of the Board of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, scheduled for December 13–18. While the Fund is operationalised, several issues regarding finance delivery still need to be worked out. The UN Fund currently houses around $300 million, below the $820 million pledged and far below the scale of the need.

NEPAL’S APPEAL A TEST OF GLOBAL RESOLVE, SAY EXPERTS

According to experts, Nepal’s call for a stronger international climate response at the most prominent global platform, the UNGA, underscores the daunting challenges posed by climate change and the need for greater cooperation among countries. “Their appeal for international support will test the global resolve to assist vulnerable countries. Nepal’s two giant neighbors, China and India, have a particular stake in helping address these challenges, not only as major regional powers, but also because climate and disaster risks in the Himalayas are transboundary,” said Li Shuo, Director, China Climate Hub, Asia Society Policy Institute.

Dr Ajay Mathur, former India Climate Negotiator and former DG, International Solar Alliance emphasized the urgent need to resource the Loss & Damage Fund fully at the upcoming COP31 in Antalya. “The speeches of the Nepalese PM and Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly, forcefully tell us of the urgent need for this compensation and for upskilling people to handle the unexpected,” he added.

While Nepal needs new resources to support its rebuilding and recovery, experts also highlight the need for a pause on its debt payments so that it can spend its domestic resources to build back better. “A temporary debt pause would unlock around $400 million in debt repayments the country owes to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in 2027, Nepal’s two largest multilateral creditors. To put these payments in perspective, Nepal received, on average, between 2021-2023, $270 million a year in climate finance from multilateral development banks. So, the debt pause would unlock twice as much money that Nepal received in climate finance,” said Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Research Director, Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture.

The 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) is underway in New York from 18th to 28th September, while the High-Level event on climate action convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded on September 23rd.

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What is Nepal PM Balendra Shah’s proposed Himalayan climate resilience mechanism?

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah proposed a mechanism led jointly by Nepal, India, and China to tackle Hindu Kush Himalayan warming threats. The initiative aims to share satellite data, monitor dangerous glacial lakes, strengthen joint early warning systems, and coordinate cross-border disaster assistance.

What financial compensation and support did Nepal seek at the UNGA following the floods?

Nepal requested $20 million from the Loss and Damage Fund to cope with damages exceeding $5 billion from the August 26 floods. PM Balendra Shah emphasized that existing financing mechanisms remain grossly inadequate and called for adequate grant-based support and fulfillment of climate justice.

How could a temporary debt pause help Nepal’s economic recovery after the disaster?

A temporary debt pause would unlock around $400 million in debt repayments that Nepal owes to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank in 2027. This relief would provide twice as much money as Nepal receives annually in multilateral climate finance, allowing the country to spend domestic resources to build back better.

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Srishti ChoudharyAssociate Editor

Srishti Choudhary, Associate Editor at CNN-News18 specializes in science, environment, and climate change reporting. With over a decade of extensive field experience, she has brought incisive ground r…Read More

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