ICIMOD

The Hindu Kush Himalaya is suffering disproportionate economic losses from climate impacts. The region needs urgent investment to build resilience and help communities. Join us at #ClimateWeekNYC as ICIMOD Deputy Director General Izabella Koziell argues for urgent action to address the Hindu Kush Himalaya's overwhelming climate finance gap. For more information: https://lnkd.in/dEBDih7 Climate Group Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Adam Lake

It is not just temperature rise that is impacting mountains: mass tourism, extractivism, and depopulation are all playing a part in the threats these delicate highland regions face. Materia Rinnovabile - Renewable Matter, a bimonthly pan-European magazine, interviews Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General for a special issue dedicated to mountains. The feature spotlights the accelerating pace of impacts in the Hindu Kush Himalaya – on glaciers, livelihoods, culture and nature. Key takeaways: • The Hindu Kush Himalaya is warming at twice the global average. • Melting glaciers and black carbon deposits are both contributing to accelerating ice loss. • Collaboration is crucial for action to yield results. • ICIMOD, for the past four decades, has been working in this region to bridge the gap between nations and find sustainable solutions. Follow the link to view the magazine: https://lnkd.in/dDQ553NB #Himalayas #Climate #Environment #ClimateCrisis #GlacierMelt #ICIMOD #MountainsMatter

ICIMOD and UNESCO revive historic partnership for the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Today, ICIMOD and UNESCO renewed and expanded their longstanding partnership with the signing of a strategic Partnership Agreement at ICIMOD’s headquarters in Kathmandu. This Agreement, formally approved by the Organization’s Executive Board in March 2024, reaffirms a historic collaboration that began in the early 1980s when UNESCO played a pivotal role in the establishment of ICIMOD, highlighting the shared commitment of both organizations to sustainable mountain development and the conservation of cultural and natural heritage in the HKH region. UNESCO's involvement with ICIMOD dates back to 1981 when the Government of Nepal and UNESCO agreed to establish ICIMOD as a regional intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable mountain ecosystems and improving the living standards of mountain populations. The collaboration was formalized in 1983 through the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Act of the Government of Nepal, with ICIMOD being set up to serve the people of the HKH region, encompassing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHqEu7eK

Climate-vulnerable HKH countries’ collaboration must protect lives, livelihoods of two billion people: Romina Kurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said at a key policy action dialogue on cryosphere, water, food security, and disaster risk reduction in Islamabad, Wednesday. Alam spoke at an event jointly hosted by ICIMOD, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change. Rapid glacial melting and resultant floods in Hindu Kush Himalaya region pose serious threats to the socio-economic sustainability of the regional countries, Alam said, necessitating closer and innovative collaboration in mitigation and adaptation, resilience building, and to manage shared water resources. Pema Gyamtsho, Ph.D, Director General of ICIMOD organisation, said “Pakistan, with 7,253 glaciers—the highest number outside the polar regions—is vulnerable to both floods and droughts. We must improve access to climate data for at-risk communities,” he stated, highlighting that although technologies exist, scaling them effectively remains a challenge. The disaster risk reduction should focus beyond preparedness and prevention, urging investment in planning and implementation Gyamtsho suggested. The Policy Action Dialogue followed a two-day regional exchange visit organized by ICIMOD and Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, attended by key experts in disaster risk reduction and management including Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, Chairman of NDMA, Anil Pokhrel, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and Sonam Tshewang, Executive Engineer, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Division of Bhutan’s Home Affairs Ministry. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/g4YxaX37 Read the news: https://lnkd.in/gKDvy7EE Arun Bhakta Shrestha Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD Faisal M. Qamer, PhD Saswata Sanyal

📢We are looking for a Multimedia Design & Digitalization for E-Learning Consultant to elevate our e-learning experience in close coordination with the Himalayan University Consortium Secretariat. You will: 🔹Craft captivating e-learning content 🔹Optimize user experience 🔹Collaborate to deliver impactful courses Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gJzNBYSP #ICIMODJobs #WeAreHiring HUC Secretariat

Professionals from key disaster management agencies from Bhutan and Nepal are in Islamabad this week to learn pioneering disaster risk reduction strategies from counterparts in Pakistan. The delegation: 🔹Visited Pakistan's state-of-the-art National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and the Global Climate-Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC). 🔹Engaged in discussions focused on sharing expertise and best practices in disaster preparedness and response. 🔹Explored potential areas of collaboration, including addressing mountain-specific disasters, sharing critical equipment, and capacity-building in search and rescue. 🔹Discussed on addressing glacial lake outburst flood scenarios, a common threat in the region. This exchange comes at a crucial time, as South Asia continues to grapple with the aftermath of a devastating monsoon season. By working together, these countries can better prepare for and respond to future disasters, ultimately saving lives and protecting communities. https://lnkd.in/g4YxaX37 #DisasterRiskReduction #SouthAsia #Collaboration Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD Arun Bhakta Shrestha Faisal M. Qamer, PhD Sher Muhammad Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Pakistan

Poverty and exposure to pollution are linked. People working long hours outdoors, communities living close to landfills and factories, or families unable to afford clean alternatives to solid fuels for cooking lighting, or heating are most exposed. They are also unable to afford the more drastic measures more affluent families are adopting, buying air purifiers, moving out of urban centres, or sending children to schools outside cities. Early exposure can result in health issues that ricochet down a child’s entire life course. 🔹 ICIMOD and Health Effects Institute have partnered to drive people-first action to tackle hazardous air pollution in South Asia. https://lnkd.in/ge76kNa7 🔹 And on this year's Clean Air Day, key stakeholders from the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills, one of the most densely populated and most severely polluted places on Earth, have published an outcome text that emphasises the urgent need to scale up funding for clean air, the Thimpu Outcome. Read ICIMOD Clean Air Lead Bertrand BESSAGNET (白禾棠) on the ratcheting up of collective ambition to act on pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills in this blog: https://lnkd.in/g3YWk9dJ Let’s Invest in #CleanAirNow #CleanAirNow #SouthAsia #ClimateAction #AirPollution #HealthForAll #SustainableFuture #ICIMOD #HEI UN Environment Programme Climate & Clean Air Coalition

Himalayan rivers took centre stage at this year's World Water Week. Director General of ICIMOD Pema Gyamtsho, Ph.D,led a delegation of river-basin, climate and disaster risk reduction experts to attend the event: including Faisal M. Qamer, PhD, Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD , and Arun Bhakta Shrestha. The delegation anchored a special session on "Himalayan Rivers in Crisis: Need for Urgent Actions." 2.1 billion people rely on Himalayan rivers for water, food, and energy security. However, as Gyamtsho stressed to the gathering of water professionals, shared waters face unique challenges that require tailored solutions appropriate to the specific physical and socio-political context of each basin, resting on greater understanding and transboundary cooperation. These ten major river basins (see picture), not only require scientific research to guide policy and decisions, but also innovative financing to roll out effective adaptation solutions at scale. Find out more about river basin management and cooperation by reading our special reports on the Indus, Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra and Ganges basins here: https://lnkd.in/dURKbJ9i #BridgingBorders #WorldWaterWeek2024

Steamhouse India, a Gujarat-based company that supplies steam to industrial areas to cut emissions from smokestacks, won second prize in ICIMOD’s Clean Air Prize, 2023      In this clip hear the company’s founder and managing director, Vishal S. Budhia and its environmental head, Nidhi Lad, describe how the company is fixing toxic emissions from factories through a community boiler system.       The boilers supply steam to manufacturing industries including textile, pharmaceutical, chemical, food processing, and other sectors through pipes, cutting emissions by 70% in areas where it’s installed.      As well as reducing emissions, the systems streamline operations and reduce operational burdens on industries.      To raise awareness of changemakers already tackling air pollution and to signpost solutions, ICIMOD launched a Clean Air Prize in 2023. The prize received submissions from six of its regional member countries, proving there’s already a thriving ecosystem of enterprises, NGOs and policymakers that are tackling bad air.     We need to Invest in #CleanAirNow to support more innovations, and to scale up the most promising solutions to air pollution.     Find out more about Steam House India by visiting their website: https://steamhouse.in/    Get in touch with us to find out about how we are enabling action for #cleanairnow: https://lnkd.in/g7GFqTnG 

ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho, Ph.D met Mans Nilsson, Executive Director of SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute, ICIMOD’s Board member Lennart Bage, Chairperson of SEI Board and other officials from Stockholm Environment Institute in Stockholm. SEI and ICIMOD signed a consultancy service agreement during the meeting to address cascading and transboundary climate risks through co-operation on adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Both SEI and ICIMOD shared their respective strategies and programmes, past and ongoing collaboration and potential opportunities for cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction, air quality, water management, rangelands and wetlands management. Arun Bhakta Shrestha Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD #BridgingBorders #WorldWaterWeek2024