New York: Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that climate change recognises no borders and called for grant-based international support after a glacial flood disaster struck the Himalayan nation last month.
Shah urged Nepal, India and China to strengthen cooperation on climate resilience, calling for an urgent Himalayan mechanism to share satellite data, monitor glacial lakes, improve early-warning systems and coordinate disaster responses across borders.
The collapse of a glacier near the border between Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region in late August triggered landslides and a flash flood that swept through downstream valleys. Weeks later, search and recovery operations were still continuing, with more than 6,000 people remaining missing in the area. Shah said many of them may never be found.
Earlier this week, the World Bank made up to $170 million in emergency financing available to help Nepal respond to the disaster and begin recovery efforts.