- The UAE provided $10 million and 128 tonnes of relief supplies to support Nepal's response to devastating floods and landslides.
- UAE search-and-rescue teams collaborated with Nepalese authorities to provide medical aid and identify urgent needs in affected areas.
- Both nations are shifting focus toward early recovery, prioritizing infrastructure rehabilitation and rebuilding thousands of homes destroyed by the disaster.
- Officials from both countries are coordinating to restore essential services like power and water while planning long-term community reconstruction projects.
$10 million UAE assistance, relief supplies and search-and-rescue support are helping Nepal respond to the disaster as both countries turn their attention to early recovery
Kathmandu, Nepal: The United Arab Emirates and Nepal are moving into a new phase of cooperation following the devastating floods and landslides that struck Nepal, with the UAE Relief Team and Nepal's disaster-management authorities now discussing recovery and reconstruction priorities.
Officials from the two countries met at the headquarters of Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) in Kathmandu to assess the humanitarian situation and determine where further assistance is most urgently needed. The meeting was attended by Dr. Dharam Raj Upreti, Chief Executive of NDRRMA, and Dr. Ahmed Al Mansouri, Head of the UAE Relief Team.
The discussions focused on the needs of communities in the affected areas and the transition from emergency relief to early recovery. Officials discussed restoring essential services, rehabilitating damaged infrastructure and identifying priority projects that could help affected communities begin returning to normal life.
The meeting comes after a series of UAE relief operations in Nepal. On Sept. 3, the UAE announced that it had allocated $10 million to support people affected by the floods and landslides and had sent two aid aircraft to Nepal. The first aircraft carried 83 tonnes of food and shelter materials, while the second transported 45 tonnes of relief supplies, including basic food items, essential equipment and power generators.
The UAE also deployed a specialist team that included personnel from the UAE Joint Operations Command, Dubai Police Search and Rescue Team and the UAE Aid Agency. The team included specialists in disaster relief, medical evacuation and first aid and was sent to support search-and-rescue operations and provide assistance to people affected by the disaster.
Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that a UAE search-and-rescue team was working alongside Nepalese authorities as part of the wider international response. The ministry said UAE rescuers were among teams from several countries supporting operations in the affected areas.
The UAE's relief operation has also included the distribution of food parcels, relief supplies and other essential items. UAE search-and-rescue personnel inspected affected areas to assess damage and identify additional needs, while working with Nepalese authorities on rescue and relief operations.
The scale of the disaster has made the transition to recovery a major challenge for Nepal. Reuters reported earlier this month that Nepal's disaster authority had estimated losses of about 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.56 billion) in property, housing and infrastructure. The authority also estimated that about 20,000 houses would need to be rebuilt, including at least 7,500 that were destroyed.
Those figures help explain why the UAE-Nepal discussions have moved beyond emergency relief. Restoring roads, power, drinking-water supplies, temporary shelters and other basic services will require sustained work after the immediate rescue operation ends.
During the latest meeting, Dr. Upreti praised the UAE's humanitarian response, particularly its rapid assistance and relief support for people affected by the disaster. The UAE Relief Team and Nepalese authorities agreed to continue coordinating on the next stage of the response and on identifying projects according to conditions and needs in affected areas.
The humanitarian response has added another practical dimension to the longstanding relationship between Nepal and the UAE. The two countries have established ties across diplomacy, trade, employment and people-to-people connections, with a large Nepali community living and working in the UAE.
For Nepal, the current cooperation comes at a time when the country is dealing with the immediate consequences of a major disaster while preparing for the much longer task of rebuilding damaged communities. For the UAE, the relief mission has brought its humanitarian agencies and emergency-response personnel into direct cooperation with Nepalese authorities on the ground.
The latest talks therefore mark a shift in emphasis. The first priority was reaching people caught in the disaster and supporting search-and-rescue and emergency relief operations. The focus is now gradually turning to what happens afterward: restoring services, repairing infrastructure and helping affected communities rebuild.
The UAE and Nepal are expected to continue their coordination as authorities assess the damage and determine which recovery projects require the most immediate attention. The effectiveness of the next phase will depend on how quickly those priorities can be translated into concrete assistance for communities still dealing with the consequences of the disaster.
