The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have established an action-oriented partnership to accelerate the pace of RE adoption for strengthening economic value chains and developing resilient enterprises in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) region. The partnership aims to leverage the two institutions’ expertise and strong buy-in from governments as intergovernmental organizations. Within the framework of this partnership, ICIMOD and IRENA are conducting a comprehensive scoping exercise to analyse energy needs and gaps in selected key economic value chains in the HKH region and the opportunities offered by RE solutions. The scoping exercise further identifies actions needed for scaling up the use of RE and energy efficiency (EE) solutions.

Cost-competitive renewable energy solutions, coupled with their modularity and adaptability, provide a unique opportunity to reconcile energy, socio-economic development and climate objectives in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) region. Renewables could significantly contribute to improving livelihoods and well-being of mountain communities by providing access to reliable, affordable and environmentally-sustainable energy, while also strengthening local enterprises and climate resilience.

To share the preliminary findings of the assessment and gather feedback, IRENA and ICIMOD jointly organized a consultative workshop on “Renewable energy solutions for enterprise development in the Hindu Kush Himalaya” on 20 November 2019 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop convened over 50 experts mainly comprising the three major stakeholder groups needed to deploy RE solutions at speed and scale across the HKH region: local enterprises; policy makers; and enablers such as financing institutions, development agencies, and foundations.

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