Back to news
2 Jan 2015 | News

International Conference on Mountain People Adapting to Change completed

2 mins Read

70% Complete

ICIMOD, in partnership with the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, held its 2014 flagship conference ‘Mountain People Adapting to Change: Solutions Beyond Boundaries Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice’ from 9-12 November in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event brought together over 300 climate scientists, adaptation policy makers, and practitioners with the goal of finding more holistic approaches to adaptation that can bridge the gaps between professional viewpoints and go beyond political, sectoral, and national boundaries.

The event, attended by speakers and delegates representing more than 23 countries, featured 19 panel sessions designed to maximize participatory discussion through use of innovative formats such as dialogue cafés and interactive panels. The inauguration and opening high-level leadership panel on 9 November included policymakers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, as well as a video statement from the UNFCCC.

Each of the next three days was devoted to one aspect of adaptation strategy. Sessions on 10 November revolved around a range of issues in adaptation science. ICIMOD also launched the Regional Database System (RDS), an open-access web-based portal that will be a central data repository for the HKH region. The third day of the conference centered on adaptation policy. A number of organizations displayed their innovative work on adaptation in the region, and  young professionals made poster presentations. The final day of the conference focused on adaptation practice. In the closing session, the high-level panel discussion focused on how mountain issues can be placed on the global agenda. Panelists and participants reflected on the central themes of the conference, and voiced their personal or organizational commitment to promote action on climate change adaptation in the region.

The key points to emerge from the conference were:

The conference received significant media coverage both during and after the event; links to related stories are available on the conference website (https://www.icimod.org/?q=15516) . The major themes and messages from the conference fed into the UNFCCC meetings in Lima, Peru in December 2014 and will also be taken to the 2015 discussions in Paris, France.

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

related contents

Continue exploring this topic

30 Jan 2018 Climate change
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 ...

Third UIBN–AC Meeting discusses data gaps in Upper Indus basin research

The UIBN–AC Meeting was primarily held to recap previous meetings, discuss the progress made by the country chapter’s Technical Working ...

8 Oct 2015 News
Putting Disaster Risk Management in the Hindu Kush Himalayas within the Sendai Framework

Introduction The spate of deadly disasters in the past 10 years stands testimony to the region’s vulnerability, especially that of isolated ...

8 Sep 2015 News
Help 4 earthquake affected villages in Kavre, Nepal, secure €10,000

Vote for ICIMOD's entry for Best Climate Practices Award ICIMOD and CEAPRED’s Climate Smart Villages, a pilot across four villages in Kavrepalanchowk in ...

24 Feb 2020 News
First UIBN – Pakistan Chapter meeting and gender resource group consultation meeting convened

The first Upper Indus Basin Network – Pakistan Chapter (UIBN–PC) meeting was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 30–31 January ...

18 Nov 2016 News
Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI) Priority Setting Workshop on Adaptation Knowledge Gaps in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Adaptation knowledge gaps have been identified, repeatedly, as a barrier to widespread and successful adaptation actions. The 

29 Apr 2016 News
Glaciology Student Work Presented at ICIMOD

On 8 April 2016, four students in their final year of MS Research in Glaciology shared their thesis progress with ...

Greening Barren Land: Facilitating Irrigation and Agricultural Activity in Upper Hunza, Pakistan

WWF-Pakistan plans to experiment with solar pumps and hydro ramp pumps, and install drip irrigation equipment and sprinkles to pump ...