UK Pledges £5 Million for Nepal Flood Response

The United Kingdom has pledged £5 million in support for Nepal’s emergency response following the devastating floods, with up to £3 million to be channelled through United Nations agencies for relief and early recovery efforts.

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Baroness Winterton, said the funding was being moved quickly to support communities affected by the disaster.

During a media interaction at UN House in Kathmandu, Winterton acknowledged the magnitude of the disaster and the challenges facing rescue and relief operations.

She, however, praised the coordination and response led by Nepal, describing cooperation between the Government, the United Nations and international partners as strong.

On the occasion UN Resident Coordinator to Nepal Lila Pieters Yahia also recognised Nepal’s response capacity, particularly its experience in operating in difficult Himalayan terrain. Search and rescue remains a major challenge, however, given the scale of the disaster and the difficult geography of the affected areas.

As the emergency response continues, the UN says immediate humanitarian needs include water, sanitation and shelter, alongside ongoing search and rescue efforts. UN’s assistance, it says, will be aligned with priorities identified by the Government of Nepal.

Earlier, UK Minister Baroness Winterton met UN Resident Coordinator Lila Pieters Yahia and UN agencies supporting the Government-led response at UN House.

During her two-day visit, the UK minister also met National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Chief Executive Dharma Raj Uprety. The UK has worked with the authority since its establishment in 2019, supporting Nepal’s efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience.

She later met Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, with discussions focusing on ongoing search, rescue and recovery efforts and the UK’s support for Nepal’s relief and post-disaster recovery.