Gender-responsive climate adaptation initiative launches multi-country women, Indigenous and marginalised community network

Kathmandu, 18 September 2026 – The Integrated Climate Adaptation Solutions for the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region (HI-CAS) project, funded by Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), has launched a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) network during a two-day multi-country workshop to build collaborative engagement for gender-responsive and Indigenous-led climate adaptation this week.

The HI-CAS GESI network comprises representatives from women’s rights organisations (WROs), Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), partner organisations, and technical experts from across Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal and will serve as a collaborative platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, policy engagement, advocacy, and co-creation of strategies to advance gender-responsive and Indigenous-led climate adaptation. It will also support the HI-CAS project in strengthening gender and Indigenous Peoples and local community-responsiveness within planned activities while contributing evidence, lessons, and recommendations to advocate for inclusive climate adaptation policies and practices at local, national, and regional levels.

During her opening remarks, Sarala Khaling, Head – Resilient Economies and Landscapes, ICIMOD, shared that the establishment of the HI-CAS GESI network is timely.

“The impacts (of climate change) are often felt more severely by women, IPLCs, ethnic groups and the most disadvantaged groups while they are the knowledge holders, innovators and leaders, sustaining their livelihoods and ecosystems for generations,” she said adding, “climate adaptation therefore needs to be locally led, gender-responsive, rights-based, and grounded in the knowledge, priorities, and realities of communities.”

Jessica Fullwood Thomas, Senior Project Coordinator for HI-CAS, shared that the launch of HI-CAS GESI network is an important step in bridging climate science, indigenous practice, cultural heritage and women’s capacities to address climate change.

“Meaningful locally led adaptation means recognising, responding to and amplifying all voices. HI-CAS seeks to do this by ensuring a strong focus on women and indigenous communities’ knowledge and lived experience in designing inclusive adaptive solutions. Today I am thrilled that the HI-CAS GESI Network held its inaugural event,” she added.

Yasso Kanti Bhattachan, Founding Member and Vice Chairperson for Nepal Indigenous Women’s Forum (NIWF) shared, “Indigenous communities all over the world have been protecting approximately 80% of the world diversity. Hence, there’s no climate justice without justice for Indigenous communities.”

She also shared her hope that the HI-CAS GESI network would help to achieve climate justice with members from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal working together for the social inclusiveness, equality and equity for various gender groups, IPLCs, and vulnerable group.

The workshop brought together regional actors to foster cross-border learning, collaboration, and collective action. During the two day-workshop, participants worked towards establishing a shared vision for the network, identifying priority areas of engagement, exploring opportunities for joint action, and developing an initial workplan to advance inclusive and locally led climate adaptation across the region.

The workshop also served as an opportunity for strengthening strategic collaboration among the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), HI-CAS implementing partners in the three countries, WROs, IPLCs, and individual experts as technical knowledge partners to advance gender-responsive and locally led climate adaptation solutions at country and regional levels.

The HI-CAS project will run until March 2029. Launched in January 2026, the project is being implemented by ICIMOD alongside partners, Arannayk Foundation in Bangladesh, Tarayana Foundation in Bhutan and Center for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED) in Nepal.

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