Loss and damage in South Asia: What COP28 needs to deliver for the region

About the webinar

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region and South Asia are especially vulnerable to climate hazards due to development constraints and the prevalence of climate-sensitive livelihoods. The resulting loss and damage already being inflicted on people and nature is set to escalate as the world warms.

At COP27, countries agreed to set up a new fund and funding arrangements to assist vulnerable developing countries in responding to loss and damage. A transitional committee was set up to figure out the details, with the aim of finalising the fund at COP28 in Dubai.

The Santiago Network on Loss and Damage was also established at COP27 to help mobilise technical assistance to vulnerable countries. Progress on this has been delayed following a disagreement on where the network should be hosted.

This webinar, organised in partnership with Climate Analytics, will discuss priorities and challenges in relation to the new fund, the Santiago Network, and other key loss and damage issues to be agreed at COP28.

This is the second webinar facilitated by Climate Analytics in a series of webinars in the lead-up to COP28. You can rewatch the first webinar ‘The Road to COP28: Climate Action Priorities in South Asia’ here.

Agenda

Chair: Sonia Awale, Executive Editor, Nepali Times

Opening remarks: Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD

Featuring presentations by:

• Sneha Pandey, Climate Diplomacy and Policy Analyst, Climate Analytics
• Mandira Shrestha, Senior Water Resource Specialist, ICIMOD

Panellists

• Khadeeja Naseem, Minister, Climate Change, Maldives Government, and Transitional Committee Member
• Sonam Wangdi, Former Secretary, Bhutan’s National Environment Commission and LDC Chair, and Transitional Committee member
• Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Bangladesh
• V.R.K. Prabhakar, Principal Policy Researcher, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
• Shreya K.C., Member, Loss and Damage Youth Coalition (LDYC), and Advisor to Nepalese Youth for Climate Action (NYCA)