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)