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 1.5^oC 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.

The Task Force members include the following:

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