Workshop on Gender and Social Entrepreneurship to Address Water, Food, and Energy issues Emerging from Climatic and Socioeconomic Stressors in Upper Indus

The impact of climate change on water and other associated resources has gender dimensions. Women of the most vulnerable areas are more vulnerable due to climatic stressors in addition to socioeconomic differences they face. The Upper Indus is not far from the impact of changing climate and its gender impact. Social entrepreneurs have also provided learnings on solving one or other type of climate induced problem. However these interventions targeted community problem in general rather than specific gender problem(s). Second many of the social entrepreneurs are men. To address gender and climate change problems on water, food and energy security, promotion of social entrepreneurship in Upper Indus is an opportunity to learn how social entrepreneurship, (specially women social entrepreneurship) as this approach could solve gender problems arising from climatic stressors in high mountain region of Hindu Kush Himalaya.  For this ICIMOD, Seplaa Enterprise and Hashoo Foundation have come together. Seplaa Enterprise is actively engaged in promotion of social entrepreneurship and have practical experiences in the southern part of the Indus Basin. Hashoo Foundation has experience on working on women and disaster issues in the northern part of the Indus basin. Acknowledging the experiences these organizations have, this workshop aims to prepare a proposal for action research through a participatory approach. The action research activities is to take place between 2018 to 2020 after the preparatory phase.