Indus Basin Knowledge Forum: New Knowledge Frontiers for Development and Resilience

Background

The Indus Basin is a key resource shared by Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan. Rising in the Tibetan Plateau in China and fed by tributaries from the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan ranges, some 300 million people live within the basin boundaries and rely on its resource base. Millions more beyond benefit from the harnessing of basin resources, including significant production of energy and food.

By convening key stakeholders across the basin, the meeting will collectively assess the current state of knowledge, identify gaps and support ways of expanding ‘knowledge frontiers’, both in terms of new knowledge, but also consolidating existing, fragmented knowledge into a more accessible whole. The core focus is on scientific knowledge, including options for greater co-production and sharing across basin boundaries in ways that can enhance the relationship between scientific evidence and effective policy development and implementation.

This shift to greater consolidation and sharing will not be simple and requires collective action at all levels. Co-convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and the World Bank, the meeting is an important step towards this goal and builds on work undertaken by the Upper Indus Basin Network and under the South Asia Water Initiative Indus Forum. This includes building on the outcome of a meeting held in February 2016 at ICIMOD’s offices in Kathmandu, Nepal, the objective of which was to build a better understanding of ongoing research and interventions related to climate change and adaptation, and the cryosphere, and waters of the Indus Basin.

This 2017 Knowledge Forum brings together over 100 key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, the private sector, international organizations, and donor agencies over two days (as well as a field visit).

Objective

The purpose of this Indus Basin Knowledge Forum is to assess the nature of existing knowledge relating to development challenges in the Indus Basin, to explore new knowledge frontiers, and to build greater coordination through further co-development and sharing of knowledge.