{
  "id": 9690499,
  "title": "Nepal seeks grants, not loans, for flood recovery after deadly glacier disaster",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/nepal-seeks-grants-not-loans-for-flood-recovery-after-deadly-glacier",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T03:27:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40441185/nepal-seeks-grants-not-loans-for-flood-recovery-after-deadly-glacier-disaster"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah urged international support in the form of grants rather than loans at the United Nations General Assembly to aid the Himalayan nation's recovery from a devastating glacier flood that claimed at least 1,450 lives. The prime minister informed the audience that Nepal's estimated recovery and reconstruction costs amounted to approximately 10% of the country's GDP, following the flood that hit mountain communities four weeks ago. He argued that vulnerable nations should not be burdened with additional debt to rebuild from catastrophic climate events. Shah emphasized that a climate-driven disaster destroying a poor country's infrastructure cannot be addressed with a mere loan or a collection of smaller grants. Instead, he called for substantial grant-based assistance from the global community. The prime minister also advocated for enhanced collaboration between Nepal, India, and China on climate resilience, proposing an urgent Himalayan mechanism to share satellite data, monitor glacial lakes, bolster early-warning systems, and coordinate disaster responses across borders. Shah further noted that the flood, which he characterized as a wake-up call to the escalating threats of climate change, had demolished roads, bridges, schools, homes, and livelihoods, disrupting Nepal's development progress. The collapse of a glacier near the Nepal- China border in late August set off landslides and a flash flood that swept through valleys downstream. Search and recovery operations are ongoing, with over 6,000 people still missing, many of whom may never be found. The World Bank recently provided up to $170 million in emergency financing to aid Nepal in responding to the disaster and kick-starting recovery efforts.",
  "summary": "Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah called for grant-based international support at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to help the Himalayan nation recover from the glacier flood that killed at least 1,450 people. Shah said in New York that Nepal’s recovery and reconstruction needs were estimated at about 10% of gross domestic product following the flood that struck mountain…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dialogue Earth",
        "title": "Nepal disaster is a warning for Peru’s glacier defences",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/nepal-disaster-is-a-warning-for-perus-glacier-defences",
        "published": "2026-09-24T17:15:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Nepal seeks grants, not loans, for flood recovery after deadly glacier disaster",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/nepal-seeks-grants-not-loans-for-flood-recovery-after-deadly-glacier-9702274",
        "published": "2026-09-25T04:04:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}