Back to news
23 Jul 2025 | Press releases

International Solar Alliance and ICIMOD join hands to accelerate solar energy deployment in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Colombo, Sri Lanka – 17 July 2025

1 min Read

70% Complete
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ICIMOD and ISA by Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, and Ashish Khanna, Director General of ISA. Avishek Malla, Energy Specialist, represented Pema Gyamtsho at the event.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster cooperation in scaling up solar energy solutions across the common member countries.

The MoU formalises a strategic partnership aimed at promoting decentralised solar technologies, improving energy access in remote mountain communities, and supporting climate-resilient development in the common member countries. Through this collaboration, ISA – a treaty-based global intergovernmental organisation dedicated to advancing solar power adoption for a carbon-neutral future – and ICIMOD will work together to identify scalable solar interventions across sectors, co-develop proposals, projects and programmes, strengthen technical capacity and technology transfer, and facilitate knowledge sharing and advocacy among common member countries.

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, stated, “This partnership with ISA marks a significant step toward bringing clean, reliable, and context-specific solar solutions to the mountains. It reinforces our shared commitment to sustainable energy transitions and climate resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.”

Ashish Khanna, Director General of ISA, emphasised, “Our MoU with ICIMOD, signed at ISA’s 7th Regional Committee Meeting in Colombo, supports our strategy to move from Ambition to Action through Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) initiatives across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, beginning with the ISA Country Partnership Strategy for Bhutan as a pioneering model for mountain-focused renewable energy transitions, as part of our broader engagement.”

The partnership aligns with both organisations’ vision to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy, contribute to national climate goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and promote regional cooperation for a greener, more equitable future.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer
Email: media@icimod.org

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
21 Nov 2022 Press releases
ICIMOD signs MoUs with AKF, UCA, and other partners to foster climate resilience in Bam-e-Dunya

Kathmandu, Nepal – 18 November 2022: Fostering cooperation on evidence-based policy making and promoting science and sharing of best practices ...

3 Nov 2017 Press releases
MoAD, WFP and ICIMOD launch online food security information system for Nepal

The Ministry of Agricultural Development, Nepal (MoAD), with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the ...

10 Oct 2014 Press releases
Transboundary cooperation key to biodiversity conservation

Participants at the meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity emphasize the need for sharing ...

17 Jun 2024 Press releases
SNOW UPDATE REPORT 2024: Water shortages feared as Hindu Kush Himalaya sees “extraordinary below normal snow year” – second-lowest snow persistence on record

Link to the report: https://lib.icimod.org/record/36512 Kathmandu, Friday 14 June 2024 - Snow persistence, the fraction of time snow remains on the ...

22 Feb 2021 Press releases
ICIMOD’s Adaptation Fund accreditation paves the way for strengthened regional cooperation on climate change adaptation in the HKH

On 17th February 2021, the Adaptation Fund Board announced its decision to accredit the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development ...

31 Aug 2018 RMV
National-level orientation on climate resilient villages for local governments

Earlier, at the inaugural session of the orientation workshop, David Molden, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain ...

5 Sep 2018 Press releases
Policies in place, but more needs to be done

  In his inaugural address, Rt. Honourable Vice President of Nepal, Nanda Bahadur Pun said that women’s empowerment is key to ...

16 May 2023 Press releases
New fire risk system rolled out as forest fires up by 76.7% in Nepal

Kathmandu, 15 May 2023: Forest fires across Nepal dramatically rose by 76.5% between January and April 2023 – when compared ...