Nepal’s bid to give mountain regions a formal place in the COP31 climate negotiations has fallen short, with the conference presidency offering consultations and later research dialogues instead of a dedicated agenda item.
Negotiations continue until Nov 20.
Nepal submitted a proposal on Oct 30 for an agenda item titled “1.5°C Warming in Mountains.” Nepal and Bhutan pressed for mountain-specific attention, and Kyrgyzstan put forward a related proposal for a regular mountain dialogue. The proposals sought recognition of mountain ecosystems as especially vulnerable, mountain-specific indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation, and more predictable adaptation finance.
When the agenda was adopted on Nov 9, the mountain proposals were not included as separate items. The presidency agreed to continue consultations on mountains and climate change and to hold research dialogues at UN climate meetings in Bonn in 2027 and 2028. Their findings are to be reported to COP32 and COP33.
An agenda item gives governments a recognised space to negotiate text and seek financial commitments. Without one, mountain concerns are likely to be handled within broader adaptation talks.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told the conference that the climate emergency in mountain regions needs urgent action. He called for a mountain work programme, mountain-specific adaptation indicators, recognition of the 1.5°C threshold for mountain systems, and predictable grant-based adaptation finance. He acknowledged that the outcome fell short of Nepal’s expectations. Nepal is also promoting a “Sagarmatha to Sea” partnership linking mountain countries with island states.
What Nepal says it needs
Nepal’s National Adaptation Plan for 2021 to 2050 estimates needs of US$47.4 billion, of which US$1.5 billion would come from domestic sources and US$45.9 billion from external support. The largest sector estimates are US$11.2 billion for agriculture and food security, US$8.7 billion for forests, biodiversity and watersheds, and US$8.05 billion for disaster risk reduction. Nepal’s third Nationally Determined Contribution, submitted in May 2025, puts priority adaptation at US$18 to 20 billion for 2025 to 2035.
The UN Environment Programme’s Adaptation Gap Report 2026, published on Nov 4, estimates developing countries could need about US$305 billion a year by 2035. International public adaptation finance was US$28.2 billion to US$31.7 billion in 2024. Even if those flows triple by 2035, they would cover about 20 to 29 percent of needs. At COP30 in Belém, countries agreed to work toward tripling adaptation finance by 2035.
Loss and damage money
On Oct 22, the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage board provisionally set aside about US$21.6 million for Nepal, and the government is preparing a project request of about US$20 million. Officials told OnlineKhabar on Nov 2 that a draft proposal was expected by the second week of December. An implementing organisation has not been selected, because direct budget support through the national government is not yet operational under the fund’s arrangements. No money has been disbursed. The US$20 million is about 0.42 percent of the reconstruction estimate.
Other funding routes
The Adaptation Fund has financed two Nepal projects totalling about US$19.53 million: US$9.53 million for food security in Karnali, which is complete, and US$10 million for community-based food-system resilience, which is approved. Implementing organisations include Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) and the National Trust for Nature Conservation. The Green Climate Fund lists six approved Nepal projects with about US$157 million in financing, covering mitigation as well as adaptation, plus about US$5.9 million in readiness support.
On Oct 29, the UN General Assembly extended Nepal’s preparatory period for graduating from least developed country status. Graduation moves from Nov 24, 2026 to Nov 24, 2029.
Mostly loans
A 2025 study by the Prakriti Resources Centre found that multilateral development banks allocated about US$3.17 billion in climate finance to Nepal from 2013 to 2023, of which about US$1.70 billion was for adaptation.
Concessional loans made up 79.2 percent, non-concessional loans 19.3 percent and grants 1.5 percent.
The National Adaptation Plan sets a target that 80 percent of mobilised international climate resources go to local programmes. A FY2026/27 budget factsheet classifies about 44.5 percent of the federal budget as climate-relevant but only 6.68 percent as highly climate-relevant.
