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As we close 2024, I am filled with immense pride at ICIMOD’s accomplishments in navigating global challenges while advancing impactful initiatives. This year has been a testament to our resilience, dedication, and collective efforts towards sustainable mountain development. Here are some highlights showcasing ICIMOD’s strategic progress in 2024.
Pema Gyamtsho
7 mins Read
Advancing cryosphere conservation and gender equity
One of the highlights was our ‘Save Our Snow’ campaign, a rallying cry to protect the fragile cryosphere – a vital resource sustaining millions of lives in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. This campaign, led by ICIMOD’s communications unit, raised awareness about snow and ice loss while inspiring local, regional, and global actions. ‘Save Our Snow’ highlighted the critical role of the cryosphere in regulating water resources, supporting biodiversity, and maintaining livelihoods.
Another initiative close to my heart was the ‘Women on Ice’ programme, which showcased the incredible contributions of women researchers and practitioners in glaciology and climate science. This initiative brought a historic all-women cryosphere fieldwork team to the Ponkar Glacier, inspiring a movement to bridge the gender gap in science, and highlight the cryosphere’s human connection. The nine young women representing Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan braved the challenging trek to the glacier, breaking barriers in a field traditionally dominated by men. They are now role models for the next generation of women scientists, inspiring more women across the HKH to become catalysts for change and advocate for sustainable mountain development. Their stories resonate as a powerful call to action for addressing the region’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Global advocacy
COP29
At the UN global climate change conference, COP29, we amplified the voices of mountain communities, presenting evidence-based strategies and fostering partnerships to secure commitments for sustainable mountain development. I was particularly inspired by the “Youth Action for the Future of the World” event at COP29’s China Pavilion, where young representatives, scholars, and policymakers demonstrated their resilience and vision. Their unstoppable energy is a reminder that today’s youth are not just future leaders but changemakers of the present. ICIMOD’s communications unit played a pivotal role in amplifying these voices, ensuring widespread visibility and engagement at COP29.
A major highlight at COP was the Heads of Delegation meeting hosted by the Honourable Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, which brought together representatives from six of the eight HKH countries. This event underscored the importance of regional collaboration to address transboundary climate challenges, such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), air pollution, and water scarcity. There was a strong consensus among leaders for the need for coordinated action, underscoring that these challenges require collective regional effort.
Similarly, a high-profile dialogue on Loss and Damage, led by the Government of Nepal and chaired by the Honourable President of Nepal, Ram Chandra Poudel, discussed operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund by 2026 – a long-awaited but critical step. ICIMOD stressed the urgency of supporting mountain communities, whose lives and livelihoods are disproportionately affected by climate change. More on ICIMOD @ COP29.
The Polar Dialogue
As the Director General of ICIMOD, I attended the Arctic Circle Assembly’s Polar Dialogue in Reykjavík, Iceland, in my capacity as a member of the Advisory Committee, which provided an excellent platform to highlight the HKH as the “Third Pole” on the global climate map. The Polar Dialogue facilitated the exchange of insights on climate change impacts in polar and mountain regions, fostering cross-continental collaboration.
The Arctic Circle Assembly is the world’s largest annual gathering dedicated to the Arctic and global issues. Drawing over 2,000 participants, it convenes heads of state, policymakers, scientists, environmentalists, Indigenous leaders, business executives, and civil society members to discuss and address the evolving challenges and opportunities within the Arctic region.
The discussions focused on shared challenges in the polar and mountain regions, such as GLOF, erratic weather patterns, flash floods, and thawing permafrost. They underscored the urgent need for research, mitigation, adaptation, and unprecedented collaboration to address escalating risks and build resilience for vulnerable regions. More on the Polar Dialogue.
Pioneering permafrost monitoring in Bhutan
Another development that merits mention would be the Pilot Permafrost Monitoring in Bhutan. With ICIMOD’s support, Bhutan’s National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) launched its inaugural initiative to monitor permafrost. This effort aims to better understand permafrost dynamics in the Bhutan Himalaya, where global warming presents significant risks.
Permafrost thawing poses serious threats with the potential to cause massive landslides and floods given our steep topography and fragile geological features. Hence having a functional monitoring system is a must for taking preventive and preparedness measures.
Strengthening disaster risk reduction
Another groundbreaking collaboration was when disaster management experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan convened to endorse the HKH Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Hub. This voluntary platform is designed to accelerate understanding, facilitate information-sharing, and drive collective action to address mountain hazards in vulnerable zones. The establishment of the hub marks a significant advancement in fostering science-based and evidence-driven regional collaboration for disaster risk reduction across the HKH region.
At its core, this initiative aims to save lives, protect livelihoods and infrastructure, and safeguard economies in a region where rising temperatures are tragically heightening the risks of natural disasters.
PURE platform
A significant achievement in 2024 was the adoption of ICIMOD’s Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) platform by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) of the Government of Nepal. The PURE platform is an innovative decision-support application that leverages satellite imagery, field data, and advanced modelling to generate simple, user-friendly insights to promote the productive use of renewable energy.
Featured on AEPC’s official website, the PURE platform is an innovative decision-support tool that integrates satellite imagery, field data, and advanced modelling to provide user-friendly insights for promoting renewable energy applications.
The current version of the platform enables the Government of Nepal to identify market opportunities, enhance planning, mobilise resources, and implement renewable energy-powered river lift irrigation projects. By addressing critical information gaps, it has proven instrumental in improving decision-making and project execution.
Given the success, the PURE platform is now also being expanded to Bhutan. More on renewable energy for agriculture.
Transformative community projects
The GRAPE project’s transformative impact in Sadhikhola village, now being scaled up through the HI-REAP initiative, is a testament to the power of hard work, innovation, and collaboration. In Sadhikhola, Surkhet, two brothers, Chandra Bahadur GC and Tek Bahadur Gharti, transformed farming in Karnali province, Nepal. Their inspiring journey from labourers to transformative leaders in sustainable agriculture demonstrate the transformative potential for vision and determination. Witnessing such tangible outcomes fuels my motivation and reinforces the significance of our shared mission at ICIMOD.
In 2024, we also broadened our capacity-building initiatives through the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) professional training. This training equipped stakeholders with tools to manage water resources effectively amidst a changing climate, exemplifying our dedication to enhancing climate resilience with solutions tailored to local contexts.
These stories of impact, from organic farming in Sadhikhola to Integrated River Basin management training, reflect our ongoing commitment to fostering innovation, resilience, and sustainable development across the region.
Celebrating mountain heroes
On International Mountain Day, ICIMOD honoured outstanding contributions to mountain resilience through the Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize. The 2024 awardees included:
These awards inspire broader participation in mountain ecosystem preservation. ICIMOD celebrates these achievements while inspiring others to contribute to preserving and restoring mountain ecosystems.
Partnerships for sustainable development
Partnerships are at the heart of ICIMOD’s mission, allowing us to tackle complex challenges in the HKH region through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Partnerships amplify our reach, allowing us to pool resources, leverage diverse knowledge, and foster trust among stakeholders. Whether it’s tackling climate change, enhancing disaster resilience, or promoting sustainable livelihoods, our partnerships drive collective action, ensuring that the region’s people and ecosystems thrive in the face of evolving challenges.
This year, ICIMOD strengthened international collaboration through strategic agreements with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, The People’s Republic of China, Development Alternatives, India, Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperative (MoLMAC) of Karnali Province, Government of Nepal, SACEP (South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme), Sri Lanka, and various UN agencies such as FAO, WFP, UNESCO, WMO.
Looking ahead to 2025
As we turn the page to 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering sustainability, equity, and resilience in the HKH region. Our focus will remain on innovation, collaboration, and evidence-based action to address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution. Together, with renewed determination, we can drive transformative change and secure a sustainable future for the mountains and the millions who depend on them.
山地被广泛认为是生物多样性的发源地,其陡峭的斜坡孕育了各种繁复的生命形式。这些地区作为自然的庇护所变得愈发重要:虽然它们只占据了地球总面积的四分之一,却容纳了地球上85%的两栖动物、鸟类和哺乳动物。这种丰富的自然资源在联合国教科文组织的738个全球生物圈保护区中得到体现,其中明显超过一半位于山区。 然而,令人担忧的是,这些自然资源的非凡丰富正面临威胁。过去,由于偏远或地形困难,山地得以免受人类干扰,但如今这种状况逐渐减少。曾经被视为大自然摇篮和避难所的山地正在逐渐转变成墓地。在兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区,上个世纪就已经失去了70%的生物多样性。这些损失,包括物种的灭绝,如今正以加速度增长,正如ICIMOD的重要评估报告《兴都库什喜马拉雅的水、冰、社会和生态系统》(简称《HIWISE报告》)所指出的那样。 在公众、政治和外交层面,人们越来越认识到自然是我们当前危机中最重要的解决方案之一。联合国已宣布2021-2030年为生态系统恢复十年,去年,《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》的指导下,全球100多个政府承诺在2030年之前将30%的陆地和海洋保留给自然,其中包括兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区。今年,在联合国全球气候大会COP28上,自然首次成为讨论的核心议题。 这些努力,以及今年国际山岳日的“生态系统恢复”主题,为恢复和保护山区景观提供了迫切需要的推动力。那么,我们的八个成员国离实现“30x30”目标有多近呢?到目前为止,不丹是唯一一个实际超额达标的国家,其51.4%的土地面积已经属于各种保护区类别。 尼泊尔只有不到24%的土地受到保护;中国仅为16%,略高于目标的一半;巴基斯坦占12%;印度为8%;缅甸为7%;孟加拉国为5%,阿富汗为4%。 令人担忧的是,在整个兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区,自然资源仍然丰富的关键区域仍处在保护之外:67%的生态区、39%的生物多样性热点、69%的关键生物多样性区域以及76%的重要鸟类和生物多样性区都没有得到保护。 现有的保护区域犹如在人类改变过的景观中的“孤岛”,缺乏与其他保护区域的连通走廊,无法满足广泛分布的物种需求,并且面临非法捕猎、侵占和资源开采的压力。现有的保护区域不足以确保成功保护我们地区的象征性物种,包括亚洲象、独角犀牛和孟加拉虎。 一个尚未尝试的解决方案是建立跨界生物圈保护区,这将允许在景观层面进行综合保护。实现这一目标需要跨越国家边界的共同政治承诺,并在共享生态系统的管理方面展开合作。ICIMOD将积极推动我们区域成员国接受这一解决方案。 然而,底线是,要扭转自然的损失,我们必须对其进行估值并提供相应的资金支持。只要经济学家继续将其价值定为零,就不会引起足够的重视。在进行估值之前,拥有大量自然资本但经济欠发达的国家将因为缺乏3A信用评级而难以以较低贷款利率借款。必须为该地区的国家提供更便宜的资本来促使自然的恢复:这是ICIMOD将与我们的成员、多边开发银行和其他机构紧急合作推进的事项。为了防止地球系统完全崩溃,我们必须为大自然提供一个适宜的生存环境,这一观点从未像现在这样显而易见。
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