About the consultation meeting

Our Regional Programme on River Basins and Cryosphere is organizing a multi-stakeholder consultation for piloting the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach in the Koshi river basin. During the earlier workshop on WEFE Nexus in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: From concept to implementation held on 11 November 2021, the Koshi and Indus river basins were  recommended as pilot sites for the western and eastern parts of the HKH.

The stakeholder consultation will bring together representatives from relevant government agencies, non-government agencies, and private sectors to discuss the WEFE nexus piloting plan and gather suggestions and inputs for implementation in the Koshi River basin.

The workshop is organise as part of our collaboration with the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA), OXFAM, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Water Convention. TROSA is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Objectives

• Discuss the potential of the WEFE nexus implementation in Nepal
• Discuss the WEFE nexus plan for piloting in the Koshi River basin
• Identify sectors/inter-sectors and partners at the basin level
• Identify priorities, potential intersectoral links, trade-offs, benefits, and governance system

Expected outputs

• An updated WEFE nexus pilot plan, including the WEFE nexus framework, potential partners, approach, and methods

Background

The WEFE Nexus is an integrated policy approach used to manage trade-offs and synergies in agriculture, water, energy, and ecosystems for sustainable use of resources; improve efficiency in the way resources are used; and to increase access to resources for all, including poor and marginalized groups. The WEFE nexus approach is beneficial for mitigating and adapting to climate change impacts and hence needs to be mainstreamed into policy, planning, and practice.

The WEFE nexus is particularly important for transboundary rivers basins of the HKH. Considering the need and scope for the nexus in the region, ICIMOD has developed a conceptual framework for WEFE implementation in the HKH. The framework was thoroughly discussed with experts and multi-stakeholders during the webinars om The WEFE nexus approach: International experiences and potential for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, and the workshop ‘WEFE Nexus in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: From concept to implementation’.