Aiming to draw attention to mountain-specific climate change and development issues at a global platform, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will participate in the Sixth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD). The event will be held from 27 to 29 March 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, at the United Nations Conference Centre. ICIMOD will co-host a side event to draw attention to a broad range of mountain-specific climate change-related issues and their impacts on the ecosystems of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).

ICIMOD will set up an exhibit booth that will display scientific information on the climate change impacts and vulnerability, policy measures, and adaptation actions with a special focus on the HKH and downstream regions. During the event, ICIMOD will also be screening a selection of documentaries on the impacts of climate change on these regions with potential interventions to address the challenges.

SIDE EVENT
#InnovativeMountainSolutions: Regional Collaboration for Climate and SDG Actions in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)

Venue: United Nations Conference Centre, Meeting Room A
Date: 29 March 2019
Time: 10:45–12:00

Organizers: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and United Nations Environment Programme

Background

Even as nations commit towards attaining Agenda 2030 goals, climate change accentuates challenges, compromising efforts and often diluting or even arresting any progress being made. These challenges are particularly formidable for poorer nations; there have therefore been calls for inclusive and collective action to help them in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while safeguarding lives, assets, and livelihoods.

Climate change projections for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) suggest that even a 1.5 °C global rise in temperature by the year 2100 is too warm, with altitude-dependent warming resulting in much higher temperatures in the mountains. This is concerning, because the HKH is the source of 10 major Asian river systems – including the Mekong – and nearly 1.9 billion people in downstream areas of these river basins benefit directly and indirectly from its resources.

Given the alarming implications of climate change on the HKH and the urgent need for climate action, the side event will bring together representatives from governments, development agencies, the private sector, and the civic society to discuss the following key questions:

• What conditions call for regional action on adaptation?
• What adaptation actions would benefit from regional collaboration?
• What approaches support regional action on adaptation?
• Who can drive regional action on adaptation?

The event also aims to chart out a roadmap for action, exploring opportunities that can be derived from developing a regional adaptation plan that addresses challenges that transcend boundaries while complimenting national adaptation plans already in place in different countries.

Deliberations from this side event will contribute to national, regional, and global action, including UN Climate Action Summit 2019.

Programme

The need for regional adaptation action: Key messages from the Hindu Kush Himalaya Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) – ICIMOD

• Presentation on the four pathways to transboundary climate impacts – SEI
• Facilitated dialogue on practical examples of regional adaptation actions – ICIMOD
• Sectoral approach to regional action – Representatives from the HKH and the Mekong River basin
• The architecture of regional adaptation planning and synergies with national adaptation planning – IGES
• Interactive discussion with the audience – ICIMOD
• Way forward – call to action for regional collaboration – United Nations Environment Programme

For additional information, please contact:

Udayan Mishra

Knowledge Management and Networking Officer, ICIMOD
Email:Udayan.Mishra@icimod.org