Demand Climate Justice

Dear Co-Chairs of the Board, Board Members of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD),

Rapidly responding to the catastrophic glacier collapse and ensuing flash floods in Nepal, one of the most devastating climate-induced disasters since the Fund’s inception, is a defining moment for the Fund to act without further delay. In keeping with the purpose of the Fund, this warrants formal Board consideration through an Extraordinary Meeting, given the extraordinary circumstances of an unimaginable extreme weather event, in accordance with Paragraph 21 of the Additional Rules of Procedure. Any Extraordinary Meetings called should also happen with meaningful participation of affected communities and civil society, before any formal decision is adopted. The Nepal experience demands the earliest development of  rapid disbursement modalities, in accordance with the Fund’s Governing Instrument, as part of the current Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM) as well as for the long-term model of the Fund.

We therefore welcome the letter submitted by Board Members representing Least Developed Countries, African States, and Asia-Pacific States urgently calling for an Extraordinary Meeting to consider a provisional set-aside allocation of resources to support rapid response funding for Nepal (which we expect the Board’s agreement on), and also to consider procedural lessons for the Fund’s rapid response modalities as part of the BIM as well as for the long-term model. We further note that Australian civil society organizations, including Plan International Australia, Oxfam Australia, and ActionAid Australia, have submitted a similar appeal in light of Australia’s role as President of Negotiations for COP 31, alongside an Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development-led global sign-on letter endorsed by more than 100 organizations and movements, with additional endorsements continuing to grow.

As we have been keenly awaiting the convening of the Extraordinary Meeting, we now hear that an informal Board meeting is instead scheduled for Wednesday, 16 September 2026. Informal consultations are not equivalent to, and cannot substitute for, formal Board consideration of a decision of this significance. Furthermore, civil society participation is being denied, which questions the transparency and accountability of the Fund.

First, we are deeply disappointed about the informal nature of the upcoming meeting on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, since any outcome out of it would not carry any formal status – resulting in further delay of a necessary response to Nepal. Given the meeting is going ahead anyway, we call on the Board to invite civil society participation in the meeting to ensure transparency and accountability in the process.

Second, we call on the Co-Chairs of the Board and Board Members to convene an Extraordinary Meeting at the earliest, to ensure a proper formal consideration of the response to Nepal. This Extraordinary Meeting must result in a formal outcome of agreement on the provisional set-aside allocation of resources, to provide predictability of support to Nepal. Needless to say, meaningful participation of affected communities and civil society also needs to be guaranteed at this  Extraordinary Meeting.

If the Board wishes to meet on this matter, it should do so formally and in accordance with its own governing procedures. Paragraph 21 of the Additional Rules of Procedure clearly states: “In the case of an extraordinary meeting, the Co-Chairs, acting jointly, shall determine the date by which notification to the Board members and Alternate members has to be made, taking into account the urgency of the matter, and the format of the meeting. Such meetings may be held in person, virtually, or with virtual participation in hybrid format.”

Nepal’s situation is precisely the kind of circumstance for which extraordinary procedures exist. Proceeding through informal consultations rather than formal Board deliberation raises serious procedural concerns and risks circumventing the Board’s oversight responsibilities and established decision-making processes.

Transparency and accountability are foundational to the legitimacy of this Fund. We – civil society, local communities, and peoples’ movements – fought for decades for the recognition of Loss and Damage and for the establishment of this Fund itself. We are not external spectators in this process. We are the communities living with the escalating impacts of a crisis we did not create. 

We therefore recall Board meeting B.9, much of which was conducted in closed session. Excluding Observers now, from deliberations on a matter of such consequence, would be deeply concerning. At a moment when the Fund is being called upon to respond to one of the most significant climate disasters since its establishment, transparency and accountability should be strengthened, not diminished.

Third, we strongly urge the Board to move forward without delay on the development and operationalisation of  rapid disbursement modalities as part of the BIM and the long-term model of the Fund. 

Paragraph 49 of the Governing Instrument is equally clear on rapid disbursement modalities to facilitate access to the Fund’s resources. 

If now is not an appropriate time, then when? If the loss of lives, homes, livelihoods, cultures, and entire communities in Nepal does not constitute an appropriate moment, then when would? We cannot identify any decision in the Fund’s history that has been pursued in this manner, particularly in response to a disaster of this magnitude. More than 1,000 lives lost, 5,000 still missing, 7,500 homes destroyed, and entire communities severed from their livelihoods, territories and cultures.

There is a deeper irony here that should not be lost on the Board. In July 2025, the Green Climate Fund approved a USD 36.1 million grant for Nepal under the project ‘Protecting livelihoods and assets at risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and climate change-induced flooding in glacial river basins of Nepal’ – 7 years after this funding request was first submitted in 2018! Adaptation finance arrived years after the warning signs. Nepal now critically requires Loss and Damage finance to respond to irreversible harms already suffered.

The development and operationalisation of a rapid response modality is therefore a defining test of the Fund’s purpose. It would demonstrate the FRLD’s ability to fulfil its unique mandate to respond to Loss and Damage needs of communities facing the irreversible impacts of climate change. Equally, it is a test of international solidarity and cooperation, guided by the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Developed countries, which bear the greatest historical responsibility for the climate crisis and possess the greatest capabilities, have an obligation to ensure that support reaches affected communities when it is needed most.

In line with the above, we express our full support for the request submitted by the Government of Nepal to the FRLD for a special decision on a rapid response to the disaster. We likewise strongly support calls by Board Members from Least Developed Countries, African States, and Asia-Pacific States for an Extraordinary Meeting to allocate and immediately disburse rapid response funding for Nepal.

If the FRLD is to inspire confidence in its governance and establish itself as a credible institution capable of shaping the future of the Loss and Damage landscape, then proper Board consideration of this matter must be the norm, not the exception. 

This is far more than a procedural matter. The scale of Nepal’s catastrophe demands an extraordinary response. The legitimacy of the Fund demands nothing less.

Sincerely,

Members of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice

The post DCJ Letter to FRLD Board in Support of Request by Government of Nepal to FRLD appeared first on Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.

Dear Board Members of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage,

For more than a decade, we—civil society, local communities, and peoples’ movements—fought hard for this Fund to be established. Having experienced the devastating impacts of the climate crisis for many years, we knew and warned governments that the crisis was escalating due to delayed and inadequate climate action, including the refusal of Global North countries to deliver adequate climate finance. We also warned that the escalation would bring greater suffering to peoples and communities in the Global South who did nothing to cause the crisis. 

This was demonstrated most acutely in the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. The Nepal disaster is among the most devastating climate-induced disasters since the Fund’s inception, with a massive human toll of over 1,000 people dead, 5,000 people missing, 7,500 homes destroyed, and thousands estranged from their communities, livelihoods, and cultures. These impacts have left Nepal, a Least Developed Country contributing only 0.1% of global CO2 emissions, downtrodden by a crisis it did not create.

Nepal cannot and should not address this disaster alone. Recovery costs have been initially estimated at $4 to $5 billion—already 10% of Nepal’s GDP. Without adequate loss and damage finance from the FRLD, the country’s domestic resources will be overwhelmed and exhausted, and its sustainable development stalled or reversed. This disaster requires the highest degree of international cooperation and solidarity, particularly from Global North governments that are historically most responsible for the climate crisis.

Yet two weeks after the disaster, the FRLD has yet to deliver finance to Nepal. Beyond bureaucratic barriers and inefficiency, a deeper problem is the FRLD’s lack of resources to deliver a response that matches the scale of need. With only $370 million allocated to the Barbados Implementation Modalities (including oversight fees), and around $65 million left for other disbursements, the Fund’s response is doomed to be woefully insufficient. The Nepal disaster is the clearest demonstration of why the FRLD must be rapidly filled at scale with new, additional, predictable, and grant-based public finance from Global North governments. A fund designed to respond to loss and damage cannot function effectively if every major disaster forces vulnerable countries to compete against one another for a grossly inadequate pool of resources.

In line with the above, we express our support for the request tendered by the Government of Nepal to the FRLD for a special decision on a rapid response to the disaster. We also support the letter submitted by Board Members from the Least Developed Countries, African States, and Asia-Pacific States calling for an extraordinary meeting to allocate and immediately disburse rapid response funding for Nepal. This funding must be completely grant-based.

Further, we demand that Global North governments immediately deliver billions in new, additional, public, and grants-based contributions to the Fund and rapidly convert their existing pledges, in line with Decision B.9/D.10. This will enable the Fund to provide support to Nepal that more adequately meets the scale of need, immediately respond to future climate emergencies in other Global South countries, and ensure continuity of operations.

As your partners in this Fund, we reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling our responsibilities as observers. We stand ready to platform civil society and local communities in Nepal, and participate actively in the Fund’s proceedings on the Nepal disaster. We hope the Board stands equally ready to act with the highest regard for our shared principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, and a full-scale, just, and rapid response to loss and damage. This requires Global North governments to fulfill their legal obligations to deliver climate finance to Nepal and the Global South—now.

Signed by 160+ organizations,

Note: More organisations are signing on to this letter as it is being submitted to Board Members. To sign on, kindly fill out this form.

International/Regional

Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD)

Oxfam International

ActionAid International

Oil Change International

LDC Watch

South Asia Peasant Coalition (SAPC)

South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE)

Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ)

Satat Sampada Climate Foundation

Climate and Health Alliance

Third World Network

350.org

Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

ACE Observatory

Habitat Defenders Africa

Plan International

Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bio-resources (ANSAB)

The Federation of Associations connected to the Humana People to People Movement

Loss and Damage Collaboration

Germanwatch e.V.

Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

Heinrich Boell Foundation Washington, DC

Recourse

Save the Children International

Nepal

All Nepal Peasants’ Federation (ANPFa) 

Federation of Agricultural and Plantation Workers-Nepal (FAPWUN)

General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) 

Nepal Health Volunteers Association (NEVA)

All Nepal Women Association (ANWA) 

Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)

The Small Earth Nepal

Nepal Street Vendors’ Trade Union(NEST)

Nepal Security Labour Trade Union (NESTU)

National Alliance for Human Rights and Social Justice – Nepal (Human Rights Alliance)

Jagaran Nepal

Whole Industry Trade Union, Nepal (WHIN)

The Union of Trekking Travels, Rafting and Airlines Workers (UNITRAV)

Trade Union Policy Institute (TUPI)

Center for Development and Diplomacy Nepal (CDDN)

Home Workers’ Trade Union of Nepal (HUN)

NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN)

Nepal Climate Centre

Nepal Peace Building Initiative (NPI)

Power Shift Nepal

Harin Nepal

ActionAid Nepal

Peoples Movement for Climate Justice, Nepal (PMCJ)

Independent Transport-Workers’ Association of Nepal (ITWAN)

Human Rights and Environment Development Centre (HuRENDEC-Nepal)

ICT, Media and Press Professionals Union-Nepal (IMPRESSION Nepal)

Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN)

Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN)

Green Foundation Nepal 

Himawanti Nepal

Human Rights, Social Awareness and Development Centre (HUSADEC)

Prakriti Resources Centre

Care Nepal

Tewa

Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP)

Triyog Alumni Society

Clean Energy Nepal

Nepalese Youth for Climate Action

CliMates Nepal

National Indigenous Disabled Association Nepal (NIDWAN)

Karnali Integrated Rural development and Research Centre (KIRDARC) Nepal

Food-First Information & Action Network, Nepal (FIAN Nepal) 

Save the Children Nepal

Nepal Institute of Peace

Oxfam Nepal

Czop-National Campaign

बालChildren As Zones of Peace National Campaign (CZOP)

Jagriti Child and YouthConcern Nepal (Jcycn)

Jagriti child and youth concern Nepal 

National Child Friendly Local Governance

Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD)

India

National Hawker Federation 

All India Women’s Hawker Federation

Himalaya Niti Abhiyan 

Environics Trust 

River Basin Friends

Indian Social Action Forum

Samata 

mines minerals & People

Nadi Ghati Morcha

SETU: Centre for Social Knowledge and Action

Forum for Gramsabha

Citizens Welfare Association

CSNEHA Foundation

Adivasi Ekta Parishad

Jan Chetnna Manch

Swadesh Gramotthan Samiti

Rainbow Warriors

Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti

Prasar

Narayan Singh Uikey Adivasi Vikash Samiti

Ulgulan Manch

Adivasi Ekta Parishad

Revanchal Dalit Adivasi Sewa Samiti

Adivasi Ekta Parishad

Anchalic Suraksha Committee

Venella Rural Development

Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Mahasabha

Reach Law

Kamgar Ekata Union 

Lohiya Vichar Manch Hawkers Union 

Sahid Bhagatsingh Hawkers Union 

Ekata Hawkers Union

Maharashtra Kantri Hawkers Mahasangh 

All Arunachal Street Vendors Association 

Footpath Dukandar Redipatri Union 

Thela Vyavsayi Ekta Union 

Street Vendors Union, Dungarpur 

Dwarkesh Market Vendors Union Rajsamand 

Jaipur Pink City Street Vendors Association 

Heritage City Thadi Thela Union Jaipur

Hawkers Sangram Samiti 

Kolkata Men’s Hawkers Union 

Roadside Vendors Association, Imphal 

Redi Pateri Hawkers Union, Allahabad 

Mirzapur Street Vendors Union 

Maharashtra Hawkers Federation

Centre for Financial Accountability

Pakistan

Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC)

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)

Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED)

Labour Education Foundation (LEF)

Climate Action Energy Access Institute (CAEAI)

Punjab Tenants Association

Tameer-e-Nau Women Workers Organization

Sindh Hari Poriyat Committee

Hari Jeddojehad Committee, Sindh

People’s Movement, Sindh

Cholistan Development Council (CDC)

Khoji

Sawera Foundation

Kissan Ikath

The Sustainable Growth Partnership (SGP Balochistan)

Sarawan Area water Partnership (SAWP), Mastung Balochistan

Akhuwat Kissan

Kissan Kerkela

Alternative Law Collective (ALC) 

Philippines

Sanlakas

Oriang Women’s Movement

Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura

Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ)

Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)

Transform Asia Gender and Labor Institute

Oxfam Pilipinas

Tebtebba

Youth for Climate Hope

Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)

Aksyon Klima Pilipinas

Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and Environment (NICE)

Klima Center of Manila Observatory

Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Krishok Federation

Waterkeepers Bangladesh

Doritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA)

Malaysia

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia)

Consumers Association of Penang

Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN)

Fiji 

Alliance for Future Generations Fiji

Fiji Council of Social Services 

Indonesia

Solidaritas Perempuan (Women’s Solidarity for Human Rights)

Thailand

Climate Watch Thailand

Puerto Rico

Climate Trace Puerto Rico

United States

Climate Refugees

United Kingdom

War on Want

Australia

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA)

The post Open Letter to FRLD Board Members on Nepal Disaster appeared first on Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.

La Campaña Global para Exigir Justicia Climática se solidariza con los pueblos de Nepal y Tíbet ante uno de los desastres más devastadores que ha azotado la región del Himalaya en los últimos años. Lamentamos profundamente las muertes y acompañamos en el dolor a las comunidades que han perdido a sus familiares y seres queridos, sus hogares, sus vidas y su sustento. Asimismo, apoyamos a los trabajadores que participan en las peligrosas labores de socorro y rescate, quienes se enfrentan a la inimaginable magnitud del desastre. Se han reportado casi 1000 muertos y miles de desaparecidos tras un enorme derrumbe de hielo y rocas en el Himalaya que desencadenó una reacción en cadena en el río Lhende Khola, provocando una repentina avalancha de agua, rocas y sedimentos en el sistema fluvial Bhote Koshi-Trishuli, causando inundaciones devastadoras en la región fronteriza. La formación de nuevos lagos tras los escombros de hielo y rocas sigue representando un riesgo de inundaciones aún más destructivas, mientras las operaciones de rescate continúan en la región.

La magnitud de esta tragedia exige más que nuestra compasión, duelo o condolencias. Exige que los gobiernos afronten las condiciones que están haciendo que las comunidades del Himalaya, y las que se encuentran en la primera línea de los impactos climáticos en todo el mundo, sean cada vez más inseguras. Mientras los habitantes de Nepal y el Tíbet lidian con esta devastación, un contexto climático que se amplifica y la incapacidad global para abordarlo conforman claramente el camino que ha conducido a este desastre. El aumento de las temperaturas está transformando rápidamente la criosfera del Himalaya, acelerando la pérdida de glaciares y desestabilizando los entornos de alta montaña.

El Hindu Kush Himalaya alberga más de 63.000 glaciares y alimenta diez importantes sistemas fluviales de los que dependen enormes poblaciones en el sur de Asia. Los glaciares de estas montañas desaparecieron un 65 % más rápido entre 2011 y 2020 que en la década anterior. Con el retroceso de los glaciares y el deshielo del permafrost, las laderas se vuelven menos estables, los lagos glaciares se expanden y las comunidades se enfrentan a riesgos crecientes de inundaciones, deslizamientos de tierra, avalanchas y desastres en cadena. Esta no es una emergencia aislada en el Himalaya. Comunidades de toda la región han sufrido repetidamente inundaciones catastróficas, deslizamientos de tierra y desbordamientos de lagos glaciares, desde Sikkim en India en 2023, Thame en Nepal en 2024, hasta la frontera entre Tíbet y Nepal en 2025.

Lo sorprendente es que Nepal prácticamente no ha contribuido a la crisis que está transformando sus montañas. Es responsable de tan solo el 0,1% de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero, pero se encuentra en la primera línea de los impactos climáticos. Se ve obligado a autofinanciar el monitoreo de glaciares y laderas inestables, así como la construcción de sistemas de alerta temprana, la protección de asentamientos e infraestructura, la respuesta a desastres y la reconstrucción de lo destruido por catástrofes cada vez más difíciles de predecir. El Banco Mundial ha advertido que los impactos climáticos descontrolados podrían reducir la economía de Nepal al menos un 7% para 2050. Mientras tanto, un proyecto del Fondo Verde para el Clima, destinado a reducir los riesgos de inundaciones por desbordamiento de lagos glaciares en Nepal, tardó siete años en ser aprobado.

La injusticia fundamental reside en que países con muy poca responsabilidad en la crisis climática se ven obligados a gastar sus limitados recursos para sobrevivir a ella, mientras las políticas globales de financiación climática siguen fallándoles. Precisamente por eso, la financiación de la adaptación es una cuestión de supervivencia, no un componente secundario de la política climática. Los países en desarrollo necesitarán casi 400 mil millones de dólares anuales para la adaptación para 2035, mientras que la financiación pública internacional para la adaptación fue de tan solo 26 mil millones de dólares en 2023. Esta brecha implica que a países como Nepal se les exige que aumenten su resiliencia sin contar con los recursos y el apoyo necesarios para lograrlo. Por otro lado, el Fondo para la Respuesta a Pérdidas y Daños ha recibido compromisos financieros mínimos hasta la fecha. Los países desarrollados deben incrementar significativamente la financiación pública mediante donaciones, en lugar de préstamos, con acceso directo y rápido para los países y comunidades afectadas, en el marco de sus obligaciones existentes. Dado que la mitigación y la adaptación no han logrado prevenir los daños, las pérdidas y los perjuicios deben compensarse a una escala que refleje las necesidades reales de billones de dólares. Se trata de una deuda histórica y una reparación que se le debe al Sur Global, no de contribuciones voluntarias disfrazadas de ayuda o caridad, y debe llegar a las comunidades que se encuentran en la primera línea de la crisis, en lugar de crear nuevos mercados para inversores privados o nuevas deudas para los gobiernos.

Al mismo tiempo, los países más responsables de esta crisis deben tomar la iniciativa para detener la expansión de la economía de los combustibles fósiles. En contraste, Estados Unidos, ya el mayor productor mundial de petróleo y gas, se encamina a otro año récord de producción de gas natural en 2026, mientras que la producción y exportación de crudo estadounidense alcanzó un récord a principios de este año. De manera similar, en Europa Occidental, Noruega, el mayor productor de petróleo y el mayor proveedor de gas para Europa, amplió el área de exploración de petróleo y gas para 2026. Estas no son decisiones económicas, sino políticas. Los países ricos no pueden describir los desastres en Nepal como una desafortunada consecuencia del cambio climático mientras continúan expandiendo explícitamente las industrias que impulsan ese cambio.

Nepal no puede reducir las emisiones mundiales en nombre de los contaminadores. No puede proteger el Himalaya solo mediante la adaptación mientras el mundo sigue quemando más combustibles fósiles. Y no debería tener que endeudarse más para proteger a su población de una crisis originada mayoritariamente en otros lugares. La prioridad inmediata en Nepal y el Tíbet debe ser el rescate, la ayuda y la recuperación, guiados por las necesidades de las comunidades afectadas. Pero la solidaridad internacional no puede terminar con la asistencia de emergencia después de que haya habido muertes. Exigimos:

• El Fondo de Respuesta a Pérdidas y Daños debe responder y cumplir de inmediato la solicitud de Nepal de fondos urgentes y directos para respaldar su capacidad de respuesta inmediata.
• Los países del Norte Global y otros grandes contaminadores deben reducir sus emisiones mucho más rápido, sin soluciones falsas, y poner fin a la continua expansión de los combustibles fósiles.
• El Norte Global debe proporcionar urgentemente una financiación pública y basada en subvenciones mucho mayor para que los países del Sur Global puedan adaptarse antes de que ocurran desastres.
• Los países del Norte Global deben financiar el Fondo de Pérdidas y Daños a la escala de las pérdidas que las comunidades ya están experimentando, sin promover préstamos y financiación privada como sustitutos de sus obligaciones de financiación pública.

Estamos con el pueblo de Nepal y el Tíbet en su dolor y solidaridad, y también con su derecho a la justicia. Lo que suceda a continuación no debe ser otro ciclo de desastres, condolencias y promesas olvidadas. Debe haber una mayor protección para las comunidades ahora, recortes de emisiones mucho más radicales por parte de los más responsables, financiamiento adecuado para la adaptación y las pérdidas y daños, y responsabilidad para los gobiernos y corporaciones que continúan alimentando esta crisis.

The post Declaración de solidaridad de DCJ sobre las recientes inundaciones en Nepal y el Tíbet appeared first on Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.