Side event: Development of a regional climate change forum in South Asia

Background

In 2019, the Met Office – UK and ICIMOD organized two regional workshops in Kathmandu, Nepal, on climate services under the Asia Regional Resilience to a Changing Climate (ARRCC) programme. Participants at the workshops, who included users and providers of climate information, recommended the organization of a regular forum for scientists, policy makers, and practitioners to facilitate knowledge exchange.

At the 6^th International Conference on Climate Services (ICCS6), the Met Office and ICIMOD are jointly organizing a side event to explore establishing a regular and sustainable regional forum on climate change and the use of future climate projections in South Asia. The forum is intended to promote knowledge exchange and cooperation among climate scientists, climate service providers, boundary organizations, and climate change policy and practice communities.

This side event will allow participants to share experiences and ideas for developing and trialling a new forum under the ARRCC programme.

During the side event’s interactive programme, participants will engage in facilitated group discussions to identify existing forums and modes of engagement and key gaps and needs. Participants will be encouraged to ideate on what a successful and sustainable climate change forum could look like and how effective knowledge exchange can be enabled among the target communities. While the regional focus is on South Asia, knowledge and experiences from outside the region are strongly encouraged. The discussion and outcomes will likely be relevant to regions outside of South Asia.

About ARRCC

ARRCC, a four-year programme started in 2018, aims to strengthen the provision and uptake of weather and climate services across South Asia. Although regional in nature, ARRCC focuses on the most vulnerable countries in the region, primarily Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.

The programme focuses across all meteorological timescales (weather, season, climate), aiming to build climate and environmental resilience by improving the application of and access to weather and climate services at regional to national levels. The programme will also support the development of new technologies and innovative approaches to help vulnerable communities use weather warnings and forecasts to better prepare for climate-related shocks.