Nepal rejects 'sympathy,' asks for $20 mill after floods

Nepal is seeking $20 million (just under €17.5 million) from the international Loss and Damage Fund, the UN-backed mechanism designed to support countries suffering irreversible climate-related losses , Environment Minister Geeta Chaudhary said in an exclusive DW interview.

The move comes after floods and landslides killed more than 1,400 people in August and left thousands missing .

"We have already issued the official letter for the fund for the loss and damage," Chaudhary told DW. "Most of the countries have sent us a positive response."

The flash flooding caused widespread destruction across large swathes of Nepal , damaging homes, agricultural land and infrastructure. Rescue and recovery efforts are still ongoing in several areas, while authorities continue to assess the full scale of the losses.

In the Himalayan nation, the tragedy has become a powerful symbol of what developing countries describe as the unfair climate burden of contributing little to global emissions while facing disproportionate consequences .

Talking to DW, Chaudhary repeatedly framed Nepal's response through the lens of climate justice , a concept that has become increasingly prominent in global climate negotiations.

"Sympathy alone will not work for us," she said. "We don't need sympathy. We need justice. It's high time. If you're not able to give us justice, then we also don't need the words."

"Those countries who are emitting the most and are able to contribute the funds, they need to pay for the climatic disasters like what we are facing," she said.