About the event
The Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL) Initiative is organizing this consultative workshop with stakeholders to strengthen the Bam-e-Dunya Network (BDN), its governance structure, processes, and mechanisms. It is aimed at institutionalizing and sustaining the BDN as a platform for continuous knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement in the transboundary landscape.
Objectives
Engage and consult with stakeholders to determine the most appropriate structure, governance processes, and mechanisms that will enable BDN to sustain itself as a platform for addressing transboundary knowledge gaps, issues, and solutions.
Expected outcomes
- Agreement on BDN regional structure and strategic direction
- Shared understanding of governance processes, roles, and mechanisms
- Discussion and consensus on ways and means to ensure sustainability of BDN
- Discussion and agreement on options for country chapters
Background
The Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape – covering the vast mountainous landscape at the junction of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and Tajikistan – is home to diverse ecosystems and cultures. The health of these ecosystems is vital to sustain long term ecological, social, and economic benefits to communities living in the mountains and downstream. Climatic and anthropogenic changes at landscape level are leading to habitat fragmentation, loss of biodiversity, and the erosion of indigenous cultures. There are limited capacities, transboundary exchanges, and joint monitoring and decision-making mechanisms to address issues of socio-ecological resilience at scale.
The Bam-e-Dunya Network was formed in 2018 to fill the existing knowledge and exchange gaps on transboundary issues and solutions in the HKPL. ICIMOD and several partners signed a declaration in Lanzhou, China that agreed to strengthen the network and help enhance knowledge exchange and experience sharing on the socioecological and environmental challenges in the region.
The formation of the network was endorsed by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), Pakistan, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), University of Central Asia, Wageningen University, Lanzhou University, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG, CAS), Kashi University, Rivers without Boundaries, governments of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and ICIMOD. Based on the declaration in 2018, ICIMOD facilitated further discussions with stakeholders on strengthening BDN’s governance structure and process. The proposed structure was to be endorsed in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic hampered further consultations and actions.
Agenda
Day 1 – 31 May 2022
Moderator: TBC
Time (NPT) | Programme | Resource person |
Inaugural session | ||
09:30–09:45 | Guests login | |
09:45–10:30 | Welcome and opening remarks
Objective and need for transboundary networks
Keynote speech on the importance of knowledge networks for transboundary cooperation
Remarks from RMC members Announcement – Logistics and IT |
Basanta Shrestha, Director – Strategic Cooperation, ICIMOD
Nakul Chettri, Regional Programme Manager Transboundary Landscapes
From Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan Rays Rajbhandari, IT Associate, ICIMOD |
Technical session I | ||
10:30–10:55 | BDN- Evolution and status (Structure and strategy thus far)
Example of networks in the region |
Santosh R. Pathak, Partnership Officer –Strategic Cooperation, ICIMOD
Ghulam Ali, Programme Coordinator – HKPL, ICIMOD
|
10:55–11:55 | Breakout session I: Revisit of BDN direction
Group work Task: Revisit and agree on vision, mission, and objectives, and focus areas Plenary: Presentation by group leads and discussion on validation and consensus (30 min) |
|
11:45–13:00 | Breakout session II: BDN structure, strategy, and sustainability
Group work Tasks:Devise sustainable structure and strategy Related questions: (TBP) Plenary: Presentation by group leads and discussion for clarification, validation, and consensus (30 min) |
Day 2 – 1 June 2022
Technical session | ||
10:00–10:30 | Recap of day 1 | |
10:30–12:00 | Breakout session 2: Governance mechanism
Tasks: Chalk out the process and mechanism to make the regional steering committee and TWGs functional: · Membership mechanism · Formation and review of steering committees –composition & ToRs; Country chapters TWGs composition & ToRs Plenary: Presentation by group leads Discussion for clarification, validation, and consensus (30 mins) Concluding Day 1 and Day 2. |
Moderator: Santosh R. Pathak, ICIMOD
and Ajaz Ali, Programme Officer – River Basins and Cryosphere, ICIMOD
|
12:00–12:30 | Way forward | Farid Ahmed, Head –Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, ICIMOD |
13:05–13:15 | Closing remarks | Ghulam Ali, ICIMOD |