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SPECIAL INITIATIVE
Aligning and scaling up investment in mountain-specific climate priorities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
AT A GLANCE
A short- to medium-term investment framework to identify, align, and scale-up investment in mountain-specific climate priorities in the HKH
Deepshikha Sharma
Initiative lead
OUR FOCUS
Mountain communities and governments across the HKH have identified ambitious actions to address climate change and ensure the actions align with COVID-19 recovery to climate action.
All eight countries have policies and plans in place to address climate impacts and build the resilience of mountain communities. However, there are challenges around implementation, policy coherence, and monitoring of the effectiveness of these plans.
The total cost of mitigation for seven HKH countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – is estimated at around USD 1,153 billion till 2030, and includes costs of energy transition, carbon sinks, and transportation. The cumulative cost of adaptation, as outlined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, and Nepal’s National Adaptation Plan, is an estimated USD 354 billion till 2030. This estimate includes agriculture, and loss and damage.
This special initiative aims to develop and promote an investment framework in the HKH region to:
INVESTMENT PRIORITY AREAS
This investment framework will enable investment partners – including HKH governments, mountain communities, financial institutions, private sector actors, and development partners – to identify, align, and scale-up investment in mountain-specific climate priorities in the near to medium-term. It identifies six investment priorities aligned to climate action and COVID-19 recovery that will contribute to climate-resilient, carbon-neutral mountain societies.
CONTEXT
The decade spanning 2020–2030 is critical for climate action. 2021 was a key year since parties in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) communicated their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to limit warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels; increase their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change; and make finance flows consistent with climate-resilient and low-carbon development pathways. The year 2030 will also be an important milestone in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
This special initiative will build on the work initiated in 2020/2021 to identify and promote ambitious climate action in the HKH. In 2022, we aim to deliver three outputs:
Robust evidence and knowledge to support enhancing and mobilizing investments for ambitious climate action in the HKH
Policy engagement to shape the investment framework and investors alliance
Strategic communication and partner engagement to promote the investment framework at national, regional, and global levels
FOCUS ON COP27
Building on the three key messages promoted during COP26 last year through our #HKH2Glasgow campaign, we aim to focus this year particularly on the second key message: Mountains of Opportunity.
Learn more
The clock is ticking, particularly for the HKH, as it hurtles towards an irreversible climate crisis. The Pulse of the Planet is becoming weaker.
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The COVID-19 and climate crises are monumental global challenges. But when tackled in tandem through the prism of sustainable and resilient development…
In the truest of senses, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is the pulse of the planet. Being on top of the world, changes happen here before they happen anywhere else.
Both internally and externally, our multicultural staff and partners are our greatest asset. They provide us with a broad perspective across disciplines and offer us localized knowledge like no other.
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