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6-21 November 2025
Belém, Brazil
Our context: Hindu Kush Himalaya at the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP)
The 30th United Nations climate conference will take place from 6-21 November 2025 in Belém, Brazil. It is the biggest gathering of climate actors with the aim of consolidating actions from the national, regional, and global levels to address urgent climate challenges.
Governments, scientific community, civil societies, indigenous communities, youth, and women’s groups will gather in Belém, to discuss, harmonise, and strategise implementation, monitoring, and reporting of commitments to the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. COP30 builds upon the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST1), conducted during COP28, which identified substantial gaps in both ambition and implementation of climate commitments. COP30 represents a pivotal juncture, as Parties are expected to respond to these findings through the submission of new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) that are aligned with the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.
As an international regional thought leader in mountain development in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) participates in this global climate forum where we contribute data, knowledge, and practices derived from more than 40 years of advancing mountain development in the HKH.
COP28 was a historic moment for us. Recognising the importance of mountains in global climate action, it was the first time that mountain was mentioned in the global forum. This set the tone for COP29, where we shaped and deepened the focus on mountain-specific climate priorities in the negotiations.
At COP30, ICIMOD will accelerate its efforts, and support its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in navigating their negotiation work on key thematic areas by enhancing their negotiation skills through our pre-COP training.
We will be working with RMCs to advance the mountain agenda on the following key thematic areas:
The Hindu Kush Himalaya countries will advocate for the inclusion of mountain-related indicators in the GGA Framework’s target indicators ensuring that high altitude ecosystems and communities are prioritised and reflected in the metrics of assessing GGA accomplishments. The GGA framework will ensure that adaptation actions effectively address the scale of climate impacts. At COP30, Parties will finalise the indicators list to transparently track and report progress with clear means of implementation.
At COP30 we will continue to work with the HKH countries as they participate in financing negotiations and identify potential investments and climate financing options. The New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) must be implemented with a clear commitment to deliver the $300 billion target within the broader $1.3 trillion Baku to Belém roadmap. It should also include a commitment to triple grant-based support for adaptation by 2030 and to simplify access to climate finance, particularly for developing countries.
We will continue to support HKH countries in positioning advocacy work on loss and damage in mountain contexts with the aim of accessing the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and contributing to the science of L&D assessments.
A new workstream for us, we will support the promotion of research, systematic observation and the development of data archives, particularly on HKH mountain data and cooperate through exchange of information; support and develop programmes, networks and organisations.
As part of strengthening capacities of HKH countries, we will continue our work with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in reporting Paris Agreement commitments, which will also support forward planning, resourcing, and implementation.
Contribute to and support RMCs in negotiation bringing in mountain agenda in different negotiation tracks (adaptation, loss and damage, finance)
Advocate the importance of the HKH region and mountains and call for increased support and climate actions
Enhance existing partnership and build new ones – RMCs, regional and global stakeholders/groups working on mountain agenda.
Kunzang
Lead, Global Advocacy Strategic group regional action and global advocacy
Pradyumna Rana
Intervention manager, Global engagement Strategic group regional action and global advocacy
You will find us at the following side events, sessions, and pavilions:
6-9 November, full days, Rede Andrade Hangar Travessa Alferes Costa
Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), UNFCCC, ICIMOD as co-host, Kunzang as speaker.
10 November; Organiser: Research and scientific observation, UNFCCC
Kunzang as speaker
11 November,15:00 – 16:30, Side Event Room 2
UNESCO, Kunzang as speaker
13 November,15:00 – 16:00, Ocean Pavillion
Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF) Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat, ICIMOD as speaker
14 November, 13:15 -14:45, Side Event room 9
Andorra, Karnali Integrated Rural Development and Research Centre (KIRDARC) and Asosacion Oikos, ICIMOD will participate in the discussion.
14 November, 12:00 – 13:15, DRI Pavillion
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, ICIMOD will participate in the discussions
14 November – 16:45-18:15, Side Event room 4
Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), Pakistan, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and ICIMOD as co-organiser, Kunzang, and Pradyumna as leads.
READ MORE
14 November, 18:30 – 20:00, Side event room 8
Bhutan, Nepal, Adaptation at Altitude (A@A) and Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN)
15 November, 10:00 – 10:45, Cryosphere pavillion
Adaptation at Altitudes (A@A), Pradyumna as speaker.
15 November, 14:30 – 16:00, Cryosphere pavillion
Water for Climate Pavillion, UNESCO, Pradyumna and Kunzang as speaker
20 November, 14:30 – 15:30, China Pavillon
Center for Environmental Education and Communications, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Researcher from the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Polar Hub, Kunzang as speaker
Read more about ICIMOD’s work on climate change with the UNFCCC.
This blog provides an overview of the work delivered and participated in by Hindu Kush Himalaya countries and ICIMOD in pushing the mountain agenda in the upcoming assessment report of the IPCC. Read more
Article 13 of the Paris Agreement established the ETF and builds on earlier efforts to make things more transparent and clearer, like the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) arrangements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where countries systematically track, report, and having their climate actions assessed to ensure progress towards their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Read more
