The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) under its regional REDD+ Himalaya initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), and jointly implemented by ICIMOD and Deutsche Gesell-schaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, organised a regional workshop at its headquarters and a field visit to Dhulikhel of Kavre district 21-28 September 2015. The workshop formally launched the regional programme and created a common partnership understanding, endorsed the knowledge management and community strategy and drafted a monitoring and evaluation framework and developed a partner country work plan for 2016. Fifty participants from partner countries (Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Nepal), ICIMOD, GIZ and experts from different organisations participated in the workshop.

The workshop highlighted REDD+ Himalaya’s contributions to ICIMOD’s Transboundary Landscapes regional programme. Partner countries reported their progress on REDD+ and how REDD+ Himalaya could add value to their ongoing efforts. Participants discussed different communication and partner-ship strategies, and agreed on common strategies to create more effective communication and partner-ships. In addition, common monitoring and evaluation modalities and a common monitoring and evaluation plan were endorsed. All partner countries presented work plans and budgets for 2016.

The last portion of the workshop was reserved for a field trip to Dhulikhel. Participants saw firsthand the challenges a community-based forest management model faces and how those challenges can be overcome through community participation.

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