Protecting livelihoods and assets at risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and climate change-induced flooding in glacial river basins of Nepal
Nepal is experiencing accelerated glacial retreat due to climate change, intensifying the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), which threaten the safety, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure of downstream communities. With limited technical expertise, constrained financial resources, and a growing public debt burden, Nepal lacks the capacity for proactive and large-scale GLOF risk reduction.
The project aims to protect communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems from increasing GLOF risks caused by human-induced climate change and to reduce human and economic losses. It will use an integrated approach combining physical lake lowering, downstream ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures, and early warning systems.
Key activities include enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of relevant government departments and agencies to develop and integrate climate risk and hazard information into planning and development; improving hazard monitoring and the generation of early warnings, including the dissemination of early warnings to local communities and key economic sectors; and decreasing the probability of GLOF events and flash floods, through disaster risk reduction measures implemented in priority glacial lake watersheds.
Project timeline
Pipeline
14 Feb 2018 • 2697 days
Concept note received
14 Feb 2018
Funding proposal received
13 Sep 2023
Cleared by GCF Secretariat
04 Apr 2025
Cleared by iTAP
09 Jun 2025
Approved
03 Jul 2025 • 25 days so far
Approved by GCF Board
03 Jul 2025
Under implementation
To be completed
-
Financing
- Private sector
- Public sector
-
Size
- Micro
- Small
- Medium
- Large
GCF financing
Instrument | Amount |
---|---|
Grant | USD 36,158,230 |
Total GCF Financing |
---|
USD 36,158,230 |
Co-financing
Co-financer | Instrument | Amount |
---|---|---|
Co-Financing | Grant | USD 6,861,494 |
Co-Financing | In-kind | USD 5,066,148 |
Co-Financing | Grant | USD 1,858,178 |
Total Co-Financing |
---|
USD 13,785,820 |
GCF Contacts
General media inquiries
GCF CommunicationsSend e-mail
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Project complaints and grievances
GCF Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM)Phone +82 32 458 6186 (KST)
File a complaint
Integrity issues
GCF Independent Integrity Unity (IIU)Phone +82 32 458 6714 (KST)
Send e-mail
Entity

United Nations Development Programme
Executive Coordinator
304 East 45th Street, FF-9th Floor, New York, United States
Principal Advisor Environmental Law and Policy
304 East 45th Street, FF-9th Floor, New York, United States
More contacts
National Designated Authority
International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division, Ministry of Finance
Documents
Title | Type | Date |
---|---|---|
Environmental and social safeguards (ESS) report for FP272: Protecting livelihoods and assets at risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and climate change-induced flooding in glacial river basins of Nepal | Environmental and Social Safeguards report | 16 May 2025 |