Linking Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) framework to cryosphere changes, related hazards and their impacts in the HKH

About the fieldwork

Building on the initial testing of the GESI–Cryosphere Framework in Sankhuwasabha, Nepal, in November 2025, this second round of field testing will take place in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, India, to capture broader regional perspectives and contextual diversity across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).

A Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)-responsive approach is essential to ensure that scientific understanding and policy responses reflect the diverse vulnerabilities, capacities, and priorities of affected populations. In the HKH region, cryosphere change is reshaping community dynamics, intensifying existing inequalities, and affecting the safety, mobility, and resilience of disadvantaged groups, particularly women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and communities that depend on natural resources and traditional livelihoods.

Women and other disadvantaged groups often bear a disproportionate share of these impacts because of unequal access to resources, limited decision-making power, and structural exclusion from climate and hazard governance.

ICIMOD has developed a draft GESI–Cryosphere Framework to examine the interlinkages between cryosphere change and social systems through a GESI lens.

The framework focuses on the following areas:

• Gender-differentiated roles, exposures, responsibilities, and vulnerabilities.
• GESI-responsive entry points for risk reduction and climate adaptation; and
• Institutional mechanisms needed to support inclusive, equitable governance through research, policy and practice.

Field testing across these two sites aims to validate the framework’s applicability in diverse mountain contexts, strengthen its grounding in community realities, and enhance its alignment with local priorities and decision-making processes.

Objectives

• Test the draft GESI–Cryosphere Framework in selected mountain communities and assess its applicability, clarity, and contextual relevance.
• Capture community insights on lived experiences, needs, and expectations related to cryosphere-induced changes, hazards, and their social implications.
• Engage local authorities and key stakeholders in validating the framework and identifying pathways for institutional ownership and integration.

Expected outcomes

• Enhanced framework relevance: Context-specific insights are integrated into the framework to improve its usability and effectiveness.
• Community validation: Local perceptions, gendered experiences, and priorities are incorporated into the framework.
• Institutional ownership: Engagement with local government and partner institutions is strengthened to support adoption and scaling.

Background

ICIMOD’s Cryosphere intervention supports partner organisations and governments in cryosphere monitoring and data analysis, promotes regional monitoring and the sharing of data and tools, focuses on less understood components such as permafrost, and works to strengthen regional and global responses to cryosphere impacts through coordination, advocacy, and communication.

Funding and acknowledgements

This fieldwork is organised by ICIMOD’s Cryosphere intervention under the Climate and Environment Risks Strategic Group. The activity is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).