Hindu Kush Himalaya: GASP, ICIMOD to promote social change in the Himalayan region
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Kathmandu – The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP) have agreed to collaborate and enable rural and mountain communities to improve their quality of life while preserving the region’s ecosystem for future g generations.
The two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU ) with aim to promote social and environmental change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
The HKH region, extending from Afghanistan to Myanmar and crossing Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, holds 10 major river basins, a quarter of humanity, and the third-largest frozen body of water globally.
However, scientists express growing concern about the climate crisis’s impacts on the region, posing threats to lives and livelihoods across the area.
Under the partnership, ICIMOD and GASP will promote the incorporation of consultation and engagement with indigenous peoples and vulnerable communities in relevant research, according to a release issued by ICIMOD .
Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, said: “This partnership with GASP allows us to turbocharge our work in this area – and champion the voices and solutions of local communities and increase investment flows. Through our work in community forestry, we have repeatedly seen the benefits of integrating local insights into policy development.”
According to Satya S. Tripathi, Secretary-General of GASP, “There is an urgent need for grassroots partnerships and empowered coalitions to incubate catalytic shovel-ready projects with system-scale potential to absorb the benefits of a shifting financial landscape. Now is the time to act, and we hope to see transformational impacts on the ground.”
The partnership between ICIMOD and GASP aims to deliver transformative environmental and social impacts in the HKH. It will focus on building a resilient ecosystem, enhancing productive livelihoods, and promoting the well-being of people and the planet.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan .
New York based Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP) catalyzes virtuous partnerships of governments, international organizations, entrepreneurs, earth champions, and global investors to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, including those on climate adaptation focusing on resilient ecosystems, productive livelihoods, people, and planet.
3 May 2023
