New York, September 25, 2026: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah thanked India and China for their assistance after devastating floods in Nepal and called on the two countries to join a new Himalayan climate resilience mechanism. Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Shah said the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster showed why countries sharing the mountain region must work together before the next emergency strikes.
Shah described the floods as a warning that extended far beyond Nepal. In his address, he said the disaster had devastated communities and infrastructure, with its effects reaching both sides of the Nepal-China border and continuing downstream towards India. He thanked neighbouring countries, the United Nations system, humanitarian organisations and others that helped Nepal after the deluge.
Shah proposed a mechanism led by Nepal, India and China to share satellite data and scientific expertise, monitor dangerous glacial lakes, improve joint early-warning systems and coordinate assistance across borders. It is a proposal for cooperation; his speech did not announce that the three countries had agreed to establish it.
The proposal places preparedness at the centre of Nepal’s appeal. Information gathered upstream could help authorities identify emerging threats, while faster communication between neighbouring countries could give communities more time to respond. Shah said the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region supports the water supply, agriculture, ecosystems and livelihoods of nearly two billion people, making its safety a concern well beyond Nepal’s borders.
The prime minister also urged wealthier countries and those with greater historical responsibility for greenhouse-gas emissions to do more for vulnerable nations. He said Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global emissions but faces enormous costs from climate-related disasters. According to figures Shah gave in his speech, the recent floods had caused at least 1,400 confirmed deaths, with more than 6,000 people still missing. He estimated that physical recovery needs amounted to about 10% of Nepal’s GDP.
Shah argued that disaster recovery should not leave a poorer country relying mainly on large new loans. He called for more accessible grant-based support and said climate finance must reach affected communities without long bureaucratic delays. Nepal, he added, has restored forests across nearly half its territory and is expanding clean energy and local climate adaptation efforts, but cannot manage a regional threat alone. His UN address linked Nepal’s immediate reconstruction needs with a longer-term question for India, China and the wider international community: how to share warnings, expertise and resources before another Himalayan disaster crosses borders.
