About the event

In collaboration with the Government of Nepal and GRAPE, ICIMOD is hosting an international resilient solutions conference and expo to showcase innovative solutions and investment opportunities for green mountain economy. The conference will take stock of existing solutions, assess their scalability, and select solutions for their scaling potential in the HKH region. ICIMOD strives to identify, package, and demonstrate innovative and context specific solutions for the region. Through this conference, we aim to facilitate South-South learning, foster innovation, and promote solutions for sustainable transitions.

The resilient solutions conference and expo 2022 will bring together experts, public and private sector, international agencies, academia, community-based organisations, youth, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and developmental partners.

Alongside the conference, ICIMOD will be hosting a one-day expo (6 December 2022) where participants will demonstrate innovative solutions that build the resilience of communities, reduce risks of climate change, and promote green mountain economy.

Objectives

  • Bring together solution innovators and solution users to showcase the science and innovation of resilient solutions they have adopted for addressing socio-economic and environmental challenges
  • Learn from experts, investors, and decision-makers on how the solutions can be scaled in the HKH
  • Deliberate on issues and solutions for promoting green mountain economy in the HKH

Expected outcome

  • Shared understanding of solutions with policy, capacity, finance, partnership and GESI recommendations, and scaling potential
  • Adaptation solutions portal promoted and updated with scalable solutions and innovations
  • Short explainer videos of selected innovative solutions contributing to green mountain economy

Final name list of selected solutions for the expo

 

S.N. Name Country Institution/Organization
1 Ajaz Ahmed Pakistan Khyber Pukhtunkhaw Forest Department/Chilghoza Ecosystem Project Chitral
2 Anisha Karn Nepal SmartPaani Pvt. Ltd.
3 Bjorn Soderberg Nepal Build up Nepal Engineering
4 Deki & Tshering Choden Bhutan Deki Natural Dyes
5 Eni Shrestha Nepal WindPower Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
6 Gunjan Ghimire Nepal Chyau Bio-Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
7 Narayan Acharya Nepal Sustainable Future Nepal
8 Nripal Adhikary Nepal Abari
9 Rajnish Jain India Avani
10 Ramesh Timilsina Nepal  Independent
11 Sanjay Swami India Central Agricultural University
12 Suraj Shrestha Nepal S & N Enterprises
13 Suyam Baidya Nepal Green Coins
14 Suyam Baidya Nepal Green Coins
15 Yuming Su China State Key Laboratory, SSU
16 Yuming Su China Yangtze River Delta Smart Water Research Institute

 

Eligibility criteria

  • Individuals, organisations, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and research institutions can submit tested solutions including technologies with the potential for scaling up and building resilience
  • Preference will be given to proven solutions that are innovative and inclusive
  • More than one solution can be submitted

We expect participants to cover their own costs to attend the conference. However, some selected proposals maybe supported on a need basis.

Important dates

5 September 2022: Call for proposals

16 October 2022: Deadline for submitting proposals

21 October 2022: Announcement of selected proposals

5-7 December 2022: Conference and Expo

Agenda

Venue: ICIMOD Headquarter, Khumaltar

Theme: Knowledge and solution innovations

Objective: Take stock of scientific thoughts around challenges, risks, vulnerability, and resilience; and innovative solutions addressing societal, environmental and climate challenges in HKH

Time (NPT) Programme
08:00–09:00 Registration
09:00–10:00 Session 1
Inaugural session: Welcome and scene-settingVenue: Kailash Hall
Host: Naina ShakyaChair: Hon. Ms Saloni Pradhan Singh, Member, National Planning Commission

Welcome remarks from ICIMOD
Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD

Formal inauguration of conference
Hon. Ms Saloni Pradhan Singh, Member-National Planning Commission

Objective of the conference
Nand Kishor Agrawal, Regional Programme Manager, Resilient Mountain Solutions Initiative,
Adaptation and Resilience Building

Opening remarks – H.E. Nona Deprez, Ambassador, European Union
Opening remarks – H.E. Riina-Riikka Heikka, Ambassador, Finland
Opening remarks – H.E. Thomas Prinz, Ambassador, Germany
Remarks by the session chair: Hon. Ms Saloni Pradhan Singh, Member-National Planning Commission

Rapporteurs: Barsha Rani Gurung and Akshay Gurung

10:00–10:30 Tea/Group photo
10:30–11:30 Session 2
International Mountain Day 2022 celebration – ‘Women move mountains’ and ‘Alps meet the Hindu Kush Himalaya’Venue: Kailash Hall
Hosts: Laurie Vasily, Udayan MishraChair: Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD (5 mins)

Announcement of the Dr Andreas Schild Memorial Mountain Prize

Prize distribution (15 mins)

Presentation by the two winners (7 mins each)

Announcement of the ‘Reading Mountains Festival’ and photo exhibition ‘Alps meet the Hindu Kush Himalaya’
Laura Wittkopp, Alpine Convention (5 mins)

Presentation on ‘Women and mountains’
Irmtraud Hubatschek, Photographer and filmmaker, Austria (15 mins)

Rapporteurs: Kripa Shrestha and Karishma Khadka

11:30–13:00 Session 3
Plenary session: Resilient pathways: Where are we in terms of green resilient and inclusive growthVenue: Kailash Hall
Host: Mewang Gyeltshen and Nand Kishor AgrawalChair: Bishwa Nath Oli, Former Secretary, GoN

Keynote: Swarnim Wagle, Chair, Institute for Integrated Development studies (IIDS) and Former Vice-Chair,
National Planning Commission
Nambi Appadurai, Director, Climate Resilience Practice, WRI India
Marco Gemmer, EU Delegation to Nepal, Head of Cooperation
Farid Ahmad, Head Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, ICIMOD
Kasturi Navalkar, VNV Advisory Services Ltd, Nepal

Rapporteurs: Erica Udas and Santosh Poudel

13:00–14:00 Networking lunch
14:00–15:30 Session 4
Parallel sessions: Innovative solutions for greener, inclusive, and climate-resilient HKH
4A: Reducing transboundary risk and adaptation
Hosts: Arun Bhakta Shrestha and Neera Shrestha PradhanPanellists:
Rosie Witton, SEI, UK
Liu Xiao Bo, CAS, China
Katy Harris, SEI, Sweden,
Vijaya Singh, UNDP, Nepal
Tomita Yuki, Keio University, JapanRapporteurs:
Karishma Khadka, Akshay Gurung

Venue: Nandadevi Hall

4B: Improving biodiversity and environmental health

Hosts: Bandana Shakya and Srijana Joshi

Chair: Buddi Sagar Poudel, Joint Secretary and Chair, CCMD, MoFE, Nepal

Panelists:
Amba Jamir, TML, India
Devendra Kumar, GBPNIHE, India
Bijaya Pant, TU, Nepal
Jamyang Choden, NBC, Bhutan
Maheshwar Dhakal, DNPWC, Nepal
Yi Shaoliang, ICIMOD

Rapporteurs:
Kesang Wangchuk, Kripa Shrestha

Venue: Annapurna Hall

4C: Air quality

Hosts: Bidya B. Pradhan and Siva P. Puppala

Panellists:
Tshering Choden, Deki Natural Dyes, Bhutan
Ram Chandra Poudel, DoTM, Nepal
Muhamad Faisal Saleem, PDMA, Pakistan
Namaraj Ghimire, DoE, Nepal
Pritpal Singh, PSCST, India

Rapporteurs:
Ujala Rajbhandari, Nabina Lamichhane

Venue: Gangkhar Puensum Hall

4D: Promoting green mountain economies

Hosts: Anu Joshi Shrestha and Erica Udas

Panellists:
Pim de Bokx, DIA, Netherland
Manjeet Dhakal, Climate Analytics, Nepal
Sabnam Shivakoti, MoALD, Nepal
Ved Mitra Aryam, Srijan and Buddha Fellowship Program, India
Babu Ram Gautam, MOICS, Nepal
Ugan Manandhar, British Embassy, Kathmandu

Rapporteurs: Santosh Paudel, Sabina Uprety

Venue: Kailash Hall

15:30–15:50 Tea
15:50–17:00 Session 5
Interactive panel
Solution cases: Innovative solutions for building resilience in the HKHVenue: Kailash HallChair: Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Joint Secretary, MoFE, Nepal

Hosts: Abhishek Malla and Barsha Rani Gurung

Launching of the PURE tool, AEPC, Nepal

Panellists:
Gerrit Jan van ‘t Veen, WorldStartup, Netherlands
Bijay Thapa, Energize Nepal
Deepak KC, UNDP, Nepal
Narayan Prasad Adhikari, AEPC, Nepal

Rapporteurs: Ujala Rajbhandari, Kamal Aryal

Venue: ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari

Theme: Expo on innovative solutions for scaling

Objective: Showcase a range of innovative solutions by partners and participants

Time (NPT) Programme
10:00–10:30 Session 6
Expo inauguration

Hosts: Laurie Vasily and Surendra Joshi

Opening remarks – Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD
Remarks from Gajendra Maharjan, Mayor, Godavari Municipality
Rapporteurs: Santosh Paudel, Akshay Gurung, Karishma Khadka

10:30–12:00 Session 7
Market-place visit: Interaction with exhibitors of innovative solutions
12:00–13:00 Networking lunch
13:00–14:30 Tour of the Knowledge Park
14:30–15:00 Refreshments
15:00–16:00 Session 8
Interaction session: B2B linkages and interaction between solutions exhibitors and users
16:00 Return from Godavari

Innovations, Investments and Scaling

Time (NPT) Programme
9:00-10:30 Session 9: High-level plenary session: Understanding policy enablers and barriers
Venue: Kailash Hall
Hosts: Deepshikha Sharma and Nand Kishor AgarwalKeynote:
Bimala Rai Paudyal, Member, National Assembly – Federal Parliament of Nepal
Gyan Prakash Upadhyaya, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Sikkim, India

Panellists:
Rinzin Dorji, Bhutan Agro Industries Limited, Bhutan
Bishnu Raj Uprety, Policy Research Institute, Nepal
Wolfger Mayrhofer, Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention, Austria
Pema Gyamtsho, Director General ICIMOD

Summarising and way forward – Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD
Closing: Nand Kishor Agarwal

Rapporteurs: Srijana Joshi, Barsha Rani Gurung

10:30- 11:00 Tea
11:00-12:30 Parallel sessions: Accelerators of innovative solutions
10A: Gender and youth
Hosts: Kosar Bano and Kesang Wangchuk

Panellists:
Mohammad Obaidur Rehman, Save the Children, Bangladesh
Deepak Menaria, Lemon Ideas, India
Pramila Acharya Rijal, SAWDF, Nepal
Lhakpa, Loden Foundation, Bhutan
Pukar Malla, Daayitwa Nepal
Irmtraud Hubatschek, Photographer and filmmaker, Austria

Rapporteurs:
Erica Udas, Karishma Khadka

Venue: Kailash Hall

10B: Technological innovations and digital solutions

Hosts: Faisal Mueen Qamar and Kiran Shakya

Aamer Hayat Bhandara, Digital Dera, Pakistan
Bhogendra Mishra, PRI, Nepal
Reshma Shrestha, KU, Nepal
Rosie Witton, SEI, UK
Swostika Chauhan, Agriculture Knowledge Center, Chitwan, Nepal
Pranayna K.C. Daraz, Nepal

Rapporteurs: Barsha Rani Gurung, Sabina Uprety

Venue: Nanda Devi Hall

10C: Regional cooperation and partnerships

Hosts: Janita Gurung and Sanjeev Bhuchar

Chair: Sewa Lamsal, Joint Secretary, MoF, Nepal

Panellists:
Bipul Chatterjee, Cuts International, India
Tshering Wangmo, DAMC, Bhutan
Mozaharul Alam, UNEP, Thailand
Wenling Wang, AIRC, China
Neera Shrestha Pradhan, ICIMOD

Rapporteurs: Santosh Paudel, Sunayana Basnet

Venue: Annapurna Hall

12:30-13:30 Session 11:
LIGHTNING TALKS: Unlocking innovative solutions

Venue: Kailash Hall
Hosts: Kamal Prasad Aryal and Ujala Rajbhandari

Resilient Mountain Solutions: 10 local solutions for global impact
– Introduction to the exhibition Anna Sinisalo, GRID Arendal, Norway

Panellists:
Björn Söderberg, Build up Nepal
Rajnish Jain, Avani, India
Gunjan Ghimire, Algae bioreactor, Nepal
Nabin Bikash Maharjan, Blue waste to value, Nepal
Jamyang Choden, NBC, Bhutan
Yuming Su, State Key Laboratory of Sand Resources Utilization, China

Rapporteurs: Akshay Gurung, Santosh Paudel

13:30-14:30 Networking lunch
14:30-16:00 Session 12
Plenary session: Investors dialogue on financing with the private sector

Venue: Kailash Hall
Hosts: Naina Shakya and Santosh Raj Pathak

Keynote: Deepshikha Sharma

Panellists:
Siddhant Raj Pandey, Business Oxygen Pvt Ltd, Nepal
Bikash Chandra Bhandari, Nabil Investment Banking Limited, Nepal
Kasturi Navalkar, VNV Advisory Services Ltd, Nepal
Rojee Joshi, ADPC, Nepal
Mohammad Obaidur Rehman, Save the Children, Bangladesh
Michelle Guertin, ICIMOD

Rapporteurs: Anu Joshi Shrestha, Avishek Malla

16:00-16:30 Tea
16:30-17:30 Closing session

Venue: Kailash Hall
Host: Srijana Joshi

Way forward: Nand Kishor Agrawal, ICIMOD

Announcement of solution winners

Vote of thanks: Surendra Joshi, ICIMOD
Closing statement – Buddi Sagar Poudel, Joint Secretary and Chair, CCMD, MoFE, Nepal
Closing statement – Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD

Rapporteurs: Akshay Gurung, Karishma Khadka

17:30-19:00 Closing with Hi-tea and networking

Background

Climate change presents serious challenges for the HKH region. The HKH is the pulse of the planet – what happens here affects the livelihoods of nearly two billion people, or one-fourth of humanity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to support transformative action – at scale and speed – to build the resilience of mountain communities in the HKH.

Mountain regions in the HKH have a huge potential for innovation in technology, processes, and functions to promote green economy. Although the HKH region hosts a variety of solutions, they are mostly scattered, poorly promoted and/or confined to particular geographies, and mostly implemented as standalone solutions. The challenge is not only to design and test customised solutions but also to out/upscale solutions, which are successfully piloted in small clusters. Therefore, for the wider uptake and adoption of resilient solutions, more investment is required in research, technology development, and innovation for transitioning to green economy. Given the current pace of climate change, there is a need to focus on promoting proven and actionable solutions that are economically viable and socially inclusive, for enhancing the resilience of mountain communities.

About the organisers

ICIMOD

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). We are based in Kathmandu, Nepal, and work in and for our eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. We work to improve the lives and livelihoods of men, women, and children of the HKH and protect mountain environments and cultures. The knowledge we create, and share helps the people of the HKH become more resilient, make the most of new opportunities, and prepare for change. Our work strengthens regional cooperation for conservation and sustainable mountain development.

Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal

The Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) is a governmental entity of Nepal responsible for the conservation and management of forests and the environment in the country. Its main purposes are to enhance sustainable growth of forest and water sector and to manage biodiversity. MoFE also looks after the promotion and development of forest-related industries to alleviate poverty in the rural areas of Nepal.

GRAPE

GRAPE is jointly planned and financed by the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Scientific committee

Surendra Raj Joshi
Surendra Raj Joshi

Head ICIMOD Knowledge Park Godavari

Nanda Kishor Agrawal
Nand Kishor Agrawal

Programme Coordinator, Resilient Mountain Solutions Initiative

Srijana Joshi

Ecosystem Specialist

Erica Udas
Erica Udas

Ecosystem Analyst

Bidya Banmali Pradhan

Regional Programme Manager, Atmosphere

Bandana Shakya
Bandana Shakya

Theme Leader, Ecosystems

Visa, weather, and other information

Read more

For more information, please contact

 

Srijana Joshi       Santosh Paudel       Akshay Gurung