Let’s celebrate achievements and take real action for ALL women

Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

Across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, many women are already leading the way. They’re managing natural resources, adapting to climate change, and coming up with smart local solutions. Despite being at the heart of these efforts, many women still face serious challenges such as unequal power dynamics and lingering gender biases that hold them back, including carrying the majority of the physical load, and juggling countless daily responsibilities such as unpaid care work.

The world is facing tough times – conflicts, growing poverty, and the intensifying effects of climate change. Women, especially those in vulnerable communities, are often hit the hardest. Climate change alone threatens to displace millions, with women and girls comprising the majority of those affected. Without urgent action, more than 12 million girls could be forced out of school annually by 2025, and over 342 million women and girls may be living in extreme poverty by 2030. (Source: UN Women and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, statistics division 2023)

Achieving gender equality isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s essential. It helps build stronger communities, boosts economies, and makes us more resilient to the challenges ahead. At ICIMOD, we recognise the unwavering resilience and invaluable contributions of women in the HKH region. From leading community conservation initiatives to driving entrepreneurship and innovation, women are shaping a sustainable future. But they can’t do it alone; all sectors of society must pitch in to this crucial task, and they need support, recognition, and equal opportunities.

ICIMOD is stepping up its commitments to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and has implemented several initiatives to empower women and enhance their roles, outlined here:

HKH Women on Ice

The HKH Women on Ice initiative is a groundbreaking programme by ICIMOD aimed at promoting gender equality in cryosphere sciences. Launched in December 2024, this initiative offered young women from the HKH region an opportunity to engage directly in glacier research and climate action. The first all-women HKH cryosphere team journeyed to the Ponkar Glacier in Manang, Nepal – an expedition which provided participants a hands-on experience in glacier monitoring and field research.

This isn’t just about gaining skills – it’s about breaking down old-school gender barriers in science and demonstrating that women have a major role in tackling climate change. By providing opportunities for more women to be involved in this kind of research, we’re not only building expertise, but we are also creating a more inclusive, diverse approach to understanding the effects of climate change in the HKH region.

Empowering women in Geospatial Information Technology

Since 2018, ICIMOD’s SERVIR-HKH Initiative has trained more than 1,490 women in Earth observation and geospatial information technology (GIT). These programmes have strengthened the capacity of women in GIS operations, remote sensing, and open-source mapping tools.

The 2023 iteration of our flagship ‘Empowering women in geospatial information technology’ training session successfully built the capacity of over 642 women from across the HKH region.

Helping women entrepreneurs thrive

In the HKH region, many communities depend on agroforestry-based businesses to fight poverty and improve food security. Women play a huge role in these enterprises – whether it’s making products from local plants like allo (a natural fibre), ritha (soap nuts), nigalo (a type of bamboo), or running beekeeping ventures. However, despite their active involvement, many women face hurdles including restrictive social norms, limited access to money, and a lack of business know-how.

That’s where our Women Entrepreneurship Promotion Training comes in. Designed for women under 40 with small-scale business experience, the training is all about helping them take charge by boosting their understanding of value chains, improving problem-solving skills, and giving them the confidence to run and grow their businesses.

The programme also focuses on strengthening women’s voices in decision-making through self-assessment tools and discussions on gender and governance. By supporting women entrepreneurs, we’re not just helping individuals, but we are uplifting the entire community.

Making spring management inclusive for everyone

In the The Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme ( HI-REAP )project, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), we developed a Trainer’s Manual to make springshed management more inclusive, with plans to roll it out later in 2025. Why does this matter? Because water is life, and decisions about how it’s managed should include everyone. Our team has developed a ‘GESI-Responsive Spring Shed Protocol Trainer’s Manual’, with rollout planned for 2025.

Making disaster planning fair for everyone

When disasters strike, they don’t affect everyone the same way – and that’s why planning needs to be fair and inclusive. Through the -Building capabilities for green, climate resilient, and inclusive development (HI-GRID) project, ICIMOD is working with local municipalities to make sure disaster risk reduction plans and budgets consider the needs of everyone, especially women and disadvantaged groups. How? By providing hands-on training in Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and conducting assessments on GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion).

The goal is simple: no-one should be left out when it comes to safety and recovery.

Women leading climate-resilient farming

In our Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystem ( GRAPE) initiative, 84% of Local Resource Persons leading climate-smart farming efforts are women. They’re not just working the fields – they’re training others and transforming how entire communities grow food.

Making renewable energy plans fair and inclusive

ICIMOD and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), Government of Nepal, have teamed up to design renewable energy projects that work for everyone. Together, they’ve launched the GESI-Integrated Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) Framework – a tool that builds GESI into every step of planning new energy projects. This means that when decisions are made about projects with solar or hydropower, the needs and voices of women, disadvantaged groups, and vulnerable communities aren’t just ‘considered’ – they’re prioritised.

Inclusive water management

Water affects us all – but how we manage it doesn’t always include everyone. That’s why we’ve launched the GESI Toolkit for Water Modelling. This toolkit helps scientists and practitioners make water management fairer and more inclusive by focusing on GESI. This toolkit makes sure water solutions are shaped by everyone – not just a select few.

To sum up, on this International Women’s Day, we must move beyond rhetoric. Gender equality requires coordinated, action-oriented efforts that translate commitments into concrete change. At ICIMOD, we reaffirm our dedication to ensuring women’s voices are heard, their leadership recognised, and their contributions fully integrated into climate action and sustainable development. We call upon individuals, organisations, and governments to accelerate progress, place gender equality at the core of climate resilience, and promote economic empowerment across the HKH.

Now is the time to act. Together, let us create a future where ALL women and girls can thrive, lead, and shape a more just and sustainable world.

Pema Gyamtsho