Nepal becomes first Asian country to sign LEAF Coalition Agreement

23 January 2026 | Kathmandu: Nepal’s government today signed a landmark deal to receive up to $55 million in climate finance from the LEAF Coalition, rewarding its efforts to tackle deforestation.

Nepal becomes the first Asian country to sign an agreement to receive finance from LEAF, an innovative global public-private initiative comprising over 30 major companies and the governments of Norway, United Kingdom, United States and Republic of Korea.

By signing the agreement, the Government of Nepal has renewed Nepal’s longstanding commitment to protecting and restoring its forests via its jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD) program. The agreement was marked at a special event in Kathmandu today, which was supported by Environment Defense Fund and attended by over 100 stakeholders from government, Indigenous Nationalities, local communities and forest user groups.

Read more about the agreement here.