Back to news
24 Feb 2021 | News

Deepening regional cooperation for climate action: HKH High-Level Task Force convenes

1 min Read

70% Complete

The first meeting of the HKH High-Level Task Force took place virtually on 22 February 2021. Constituted based on the Ministerial Declaration on the HKH Call to Action, which was issued on 15 October 2020, and comprising senior government officials from all eight HKH countries, this Task Force will monitor the progress on the HKH Call to Action and assess the potential for an institutional mechanism to strengthen regional cooperation.

The HKH Call to Action provides a roadmap for the future of the region, based on the latest science synthesized in The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment: Mountains, climate change, sustainability and people, and is framed around six urgent actions:

  1. Cooperate at all levels across the HKH region for sustainable and mutual benefits
  2. Recognize and prioritize the uniqueness of the HKH mountain people
  3. Take concerted climate action at all levels to keep global warming to 1.5oC by 2100
  4. Take accelerated actions to achieve the SDGs and 9 Mountain Priorities
  5. Enhance ecosystem resilience; halt biodiversity loss and land degradation
  6. Regional data and information sharing and science and knowledge cooperation

During the meeting, ICIMOD provided an orientation and context to the Task Force members about the HKH Assessment, Call to Action, and the Ministerial Declaration, and the participants discussed the Task Force’s role, plan of work, and key actions in 2021.

six urgent action hkh call to action

 

The Task Force members include the following:

Country Task Force members
Afghanistan Mr Sayed Ahmad Khalid Sahibzada

Rangeland Management Director

General Directorate of Natural Resource Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock

Bangladesh Mr Md Huzur Ali

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs

Bhutan Mr Karma Tshering

Chief, Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests

China Prof. Yang Yongping

Director, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

Chinese Academy of Sciences

India Mr Jigmet Takpa

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change

Myanmar Dr Thaung Naing Oo

Deputy Director General, Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation

Nepal Dr Radha Wagle

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment

Nepal Dr Dibakar Luitel

Program Director, Economic Analysis & Statistic Section, National Planning Commission

Pakistan Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan

Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up
30 Jan 2018 Himalica
ICIMOD Supports LAKI through Side Events at Major International Conferences

ICIMOD is leading the LAKI process, a collaborative initiative between the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ...

16 Apr 2015 News
Women learn to invest in flood preparedness

ICIMOD, in partnership with the Institute of Integrated Resource Management (IIRM) and Swayam Sikshyan Prayog (SSP), conducted flood preparedness training ...

27 May 2015 News
How big earthquakes rattle spring dynamics

The massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on 25 April has left unprecedented damage in life and property. The epicenter ...

30 Nov 2015 News
Training for Partners in Bhutan

A three-day training for Bhutanese partners on vulnerability assessment was conducted ...

16 Apr 2015 News
ICIMOD observes partnership with Myanmar

Greatly appreciating the Government of Myanmar’s partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Minister U Win Tun ...

12 Dec 2016 News
“A Song for Barpak” Takes ICIMOD Prize at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival

With stirring images and stories from before and after the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake, director Pradip Pokhrel conveys a powerful ...

2 Jun 2016 News
Building Local Capacities for Managing Springsheds and Reviving Springs

Springs are the primary source of water for many communities living in mid-hills of Nepal.  Changes in social and economic ...

Third Regional Meeting for Kangchenjunga Landscape Initiative

Participants included high-level government officials from Bhutan led by Dasho Tenzin Dhundup, Secretary at ...