At COP31, Nepal pledges to strengthen locally led climate adaptation through LIFE-AR
ANTALYA, TÜRKIYE: Nepal has reiterated its commitment to advancing the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR). The country says it aims to ensure climate finance reaches local communities and supports locally led adaptation efforts.
Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Environment Gita Chaudhary made the remarks while addressing the official announcement of the LIFE-AR Facility on November 11 during the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya.
Minister Chaudhary said Nepal viewed LIFE-AR not merely as a financing mechanism but as an opportunity to transform the way climate action is planned, financed and delivered. She said Nepal seeks to strengthen local governments and institutions, empower communities and ensure climate finance delivers tangible benefits to people most affected by climate change.
The minister said LIFE-AR has an important role in turning climate commitments into action at the local level by placing communities at the centre of climate planning and decision-making. She said Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding with LIFE-AR on May 8, 2026, and is making progress in the establishment phase of the initiative.
Minister Chaudhary said climate-induced disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, particularly in mountainous regions, and stressed the need for climate finance, institutional and technical capacity and advanced technologies, especially for climate information services and early warning systems.
"As an LDC, Nepal continues to call for dedicated, timely, accessible, predictable, additional and grant-based climate finance to address adaptation needs and climate-induced loss and damage," she said.
Referring to the disaster that struck the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi region on August 26, 2026, which she said was widely known as a "Mountain Tsunami", Chaudhary said it caused severe human, economic and non-economic losses.
According to the minister, preliminary estimates indicate that more than 1,457 people lost their lives, while 5,285 remain missing. Approximately 15,000 households, representing around 60,000 people, were directly affected.
She said a preliminary rapid assessment by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) estimated that about $4.78 billion is required for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, equivalent to nearly 10% of Nepal's GDP.
"This disaster did not merely destroy infrastructure and livelihoods; it devastated entire settlements, displaced communities and destroyed cultural, social and natural assets. Some of these losses are irreversible and cannot simply be measured in monetary terms," she said.
"Nepal is a beautiful mountainous country blessed with rich natural resources and unique ecosystems. However, Nepal is among the countries that contribute very little to global greenhouse gas emissions but face disproportionately severe consequences of climate change," she said.
She also expressed gratitude to the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) for its support as the initiative's secretariat and endorsed LIFE-AR's transition towards becoming a facility run by least developed countries.
The minister announced that Nepal will host the 15th LIFE-AR Board Meeting in Kathmandu next year and invited board members and stakeholders to attend.
She also invited delegates participating in COP31 to visit the Nepal Pavilion, where thematic events highlighting Nepal's mountains, climate vulnerabilities, disaster experiences, climate actions and the livelihoods of mountain communities will be organised throughout the conference.
Chaudhary reaffirmed Nepal's commitment to working with the LDC Group and LIFE-AR partners to ensure climate action reaches vulnerable communities.
"Together, let us turn climate commitments into locally led action and build resilient communities for a climate-resilient future," she said.
(With inputs from RSS)
