Nepali Advocates Press COP31 for Reparations, Not Loans, After Deadly Flood

Nepali advocates used a Nov. 14, 2026, press conference at COP31 to argue that climate finance for their country is a debt owed, not charity. The Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice briefing set Nepal's estimated $4.7B flood recovery need against a loss-and-damage fund approval of about $21.6M. Speakers called for grants over loans, debt cancellation and a COP decision that names Nepal.

• Reparations, not loans: Advocates demand grant-based finance under Paris Agreement Article 9.1.
• $21.6M approved against a $4.7B need: Fund support covers under 0.5% of Nepal's estimate.
• Nearly 1,500 dead, more than 5,000 missing after the Bhoutikosi flood.
• Survivors pushed from shelters while negotiators debate text, speakers said.
• Debt cancellation and a funded Just Transition Mechanism top the policy asks.

Why it matters: Speakers said nearly two-thirds of Nepal's international climate finance from 2016 to 2023 came as loans. They argued that this lending model deepens a poor country's debt every time a disaster hits, and they want COP31's finance outcomes to break that pattern.