ICIMOD

Regional intergovernmental knowledge centre working across 8 Hindu Kush Himalayan #HKH countries Tweets on #HKH #MountainsMatter #MountainPride #ProtectThePulse

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Join us for SANDEE-ICIMOD Karl-Göran Mäler Memorial Lecture 2026: two compelling talks on climate resilience and women's empowerment.

🎙 Lecture 1: From Climate Risk to Resilience: Nepal’s Banking Sector and Sustainable Development

With about 37% of Nepal’s population is exposed to climate-related risks, how Nepal’s banking and financial sector is responding supporting renewable energy, and helping communities build resilience?
Speaker: Gunakar Bhatta, National Planning Commission of Nepal
Moderator: Mani Nepal, ICIMOD

🎙 Lecture 2: Electrifying Empowerment: Women and Energy Access
Drawing on coordinated studies and a randomised control trial in Myanmar.
Speaker: Subhrendu K. Pattanayak, Duke University
Moderator: Soumya Balasubramanya, World Bank

📅: 12 June 2026 | 09:05–11:30 AM (Nepal Standard Time)

Register now: https://t.co/gJRk0mLeXT

Date and Time:

08:35–11:00 AM (Afghanistan)
09:20–11:45 AM (Bangladesh)
09:20–11:45 AM (Bhutan)
11:20 AM–01:45 PM (China)
08:50–11:15 AM (India)
08:50–11:15 AM (Myanmar)
08:20–10:45 AM (Pakistan)

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Climate impacts are already reshaping lives across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, from water scarcity to rising flood risks. Nearly two billion people face growing threats to water and food security, as highlighted in the Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HI-WISE) assessment.

As a bridge between COP 30 and COP 31, the 64th sessions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change subsidiary bodies (SB64), held from June 8 to 18, 2026, at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB) in Germany, mark a critical moment to move decisions forward.

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will support its Regional Member Countries in amplifying mountain voices in advocating the mountain agenda, promoting ambitious climate action and catalysing investments in the region.

Meet our delegation and learn more about our sessions at the Bonn Climate Change Conference: https://t.co/OU0B2Z2q5t

#SB64 #BonnClimate #UNFCCC #COP31 #MovingMountains #MountainsMatter #Adaptation #ClimateFinance #GlobalAdvocacy #SG3

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Clean air is an investment, not a cost. There is an urgent need for policies that prioritize clean air investments in the IGP-HF, viewed through the lens of return on investment.

Country-specific IRR estimates are essential to support budget decisions and guide investments. We need to move beyond generic figures and strengthen evidence for more effective advocacy.

Development banks and national planning commissions should initiate this work without delay.

Read here: https://t.co/QXHFDJAoEn

#SG1 #airpollution #cleanair

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Nature sustains us, and it is our responsibility to sustain nature in return. 🌿

On World Environment Day, our staff share what the mountains, forests, and rivers of the Hindu Kush Himalaya mean to them, and what it means for the climate and for the future.

#NowForClimate #WorldEnvironmentDay #WorldEnvironmentDay2026 #NatureBasedSolutions

[International Mountain Tourism Alliance @IMTAOFFICIAL]

The Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 focused the theme of "Ecological Conservation and Pathways for Innovative Development of Famous Tourism Mountains". Representatives from mountain management bodies across China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam practical pathways and sustainable development governance experience for the coordinated development of ecological conservation, cultural heritage preservation, and tourism industries at famous tourism mountains including Shennongjia, Mount Fitz Roy, Soudah Peak, Danxia Mountain, and Yên Tử Mountain. The roundtable was hosted by Xu Jing, Former Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of UN Tourism. Panelists included Soon-Hwa Wong, Ambassador for Greater China at Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA); Tiger Wu, Founding Chairman of the International Tourism Studies Association and Member of IMTA Expert Committee; Federico Mattei, Sustainable Food Systems Specialist at Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Zhao Zhonghua, Chief Representative of the Beijing Representative Office, World Animal Protection; and Anu Kumari Lama, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)-nominated speaker for the event. Together they explored the way to balance tourism development with ecological protection.
#IMTA #International #NEWS #Events #mountain #hiking #ecological #hiking #tourism #IMTD
@UNmountains @icimod @nepalmountains @nepalcanyoning @PATA_HQ @UNWTO_pub @UNWTO
@MoveTheWorld @ITSA_HQ @wtasocial

[International Mountain Tourism Alliance @IMTAOFFICIAL]

International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 Theme Events Open in Shennongjia
Safeguarding World Heritage Mountains, Shaping a Sustainable Future Together

The International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 Theme Events opened on 29 May in Shennongjia, Hubei Province. With the theme "Preserving World Heritage, Sharing the Prosperity of Famous Mountains — Zhiyin Hubei, Mysterious Shennongjia", the gathering brought together representatives from international organizations, foreign embassies and consulates in China, cultural and tourism authorities, industry leaders, experts and scholars, and media professionals from around the world. The program featured the opening ceremony and the Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 as its main part, complemented by the Mountain Culture and Tourism Exhibition, IMTA Night of Shennongjia, the Investment and Business Meeting for Mountain Culture and Tourism, and other events.

The Theme Events is organized by IMTA, and carried out jointly by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, the Shennongjia Forestry District People's Government, Hubei Cultural Tourism Group, and the IMTA Secretariat, with support from international organizations, including UN Tourism, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the World Tourism Alliance (WTA), the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the ASEAN - China Centre, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF).

The opening ceremony featured addresses by Dang Zhen, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Hubei Provincial Committee; He Yafei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of IMTA; Natalia Bayona, UN Tourism Executive Director; Wu Zhimin, Assistant Director-General and Forestry Division Director, FAO; Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashimi, Pakistani Ambassador to China; Roshan Khanal, Chargé d'Affaires and Minister, Embassy of Nepal in China; Tao Congrui, Deputy Director of Tourism Quality Supervision and Management Office, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China; and Xu Peng, Vice Chairman of WTA. Ke Ke, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, presided.

The kick-off ceremony was inspired by Shennongjia's folk tradition of gratitude for the five grains. Guests poured the five grains into the "Mountain Forest Basin" containing seedlings of the Qinling fir—revered as a "living fossil" among plants, thereby advocating for global efforts in the protection and cultivation of endangered species. Zhou Jun, District Chief of Shennongjia Forestry District, released the Shennongjia Declaration, calling on the global tourism community and mountain travelers to protect nature with reverence, preserve heritage with ingenuity, advance collaboration with openness, and ensure shared prosperity for all.

Liu Zhaohui, Vice Chairman of IMTA, issued plaques to two new "World Famous Tourism Mountains" designated by IMTA—Wuyi Mountain and Shennongjia of China. Annapurna Peak and Shennongjia Forestry District formally exchanged the Letter of Intent to Establish a Sister Mountains Relationship, establishing a "Sister Mountains" partnership. The two destinations will collaborate on sustainable tourism research, joint promotion, heritage protection and utilization.

The Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 focused the theme of "Ecological Conservation and Pathways for Innovative Development of Famous Tourism Mountains". Representatives from mountain management bodies across China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam practical pathways and sustainable development governance experience for the coordinated development of ecological conservation, cultural heritage preservation, and tourism industries at famous tourism mountains including Shennongjia, Mount Fitz Roy, Soudah Peak, Danxia Mountain, and Yen Tu Mountain. The roundtable was hosted by Xu Jing, Former Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of UN Tourism. Panelists included Soon-Hwa Wong, Ambassador for Greater China at PATA; Tiger Wu, Founding Chairman of the International Tourism Studies Association and Member of IMTA Expert Committee; Federico Mattei, Sustainable Food Systems Specialist at MPS of FAO; Zhao Zhonghua, Chief Representative of the Beijing Representative Office, World Animal Protection; and Anu Kumari Lama, ICIMOD-nominated speaker for the event. Together they explored the way to balance tourism development with ecological protection.
#IMTA #International #NEWS #Events #mountain #hiking #ecological #hiking #tourism #IMTD @UNmountains @icimod @nepalmountains @nepalcanyoning @PATA_HQ @UNWTO_pub @UNWTO @MoveTheWorld @ITSA_HQ @wtasocials

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, communities are searching for ways to live alongside a changing climate. In Nepal, some are finding answers not in complex technology, but in nature's own wisdom.

A documentary follows two women-led enterprises proving that ecology and economy can grow from the same root.

In Makwanpur, the Chepang community harvests Amliso (broom grass). Its deep roots hold fragile slopes together, preventing landslides. The same plant becomes a dignified livelihood, helping families support their children.

In Kathmandu, the founders of Sakal Bio turn fruit waste from local restaurants into non-toxic bioenzyme cleaners – creating jobs, protecting water systems, and closing the loop on urban waste.

Two different enterprises. One shared vision.

This documentary is produced under the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), funded by the UK Government through its flagship Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme.

Watch the full documentary: https://t.co/fd2aeJi8Yb

#HIREAP #WorldEnvironmentDay #Enterprises #NaturebasedSolutions #SG2

@UKinNepal @FCDOGovUK @bandanashakya12

[ICIMOD @icimod]

"Over the years, I have had the privilege of travelling across mountain regions and ecosystems around the globe. Whether in the Himalaya, the Arctic, or other fragile landscapes, I have seen a common truth: where nature thrives, communities thrive. When ecosystems are degraded, the consequences are felt first and most deeply by people.

This is why the World Environment Day 2026 theme, "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.", resonates so strongly with me. It reminds us that the solutions we need are often already present in the ecosystems around us. If we are willing to learn from them, invest in them, and create the conditions for them to thrive."

- Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD

Read the full message from our Director General: https://t.co/JLb4e4flwU

#NowForClimate #WorldEnvironmentDay #WorldEnvironmentDay2026 #NatureBasedSolutions

[ICIMOD @icimod]

From the Arctic to the Himalayas, climate change is reshaping lives.

We asked our HKH Arctic Youth Champions one question.

What role can youth play in cross regional collaboration for climate action?

Nine of the twelve youth champions gathered in ICIMOD headquarters from 1–3 June for a learning, exchange, and collaboration visit. The visit focused on strengthening youth leadership and cross-regional cooperation on climate action and resilience.

Launched in October 2025 in Iceland, the HKH - Arctic Youth Leadership Forum has established itself as a platform to create meaningful connections between two of the world’s most climate-sensitive regions. This cross-learning event is part of a year-long fellowship aimed at fostering collaboration, shared learning, and youth-led solutions for a changing world.

Learn more about the event here: https://t.co/P2T9QZM3aX

[ICIMOD @icimod]

What does a Hindu Kush Himalaya startup solution actually look like?

Our 12 winners of Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs (HKH-ICE 2.0) show us their product and their idea.

From sustainable chocolates to digital insurance. From Bangladesh to Nepal. These entrepreneurs are developing scalable and market-ready solutions that transform
resilience of mountain communities.

HKH-ICE 2.0 is an initiative of ICIMOD's Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) funded by the UK International Development.

Learn more about the winners here: https://t.co/wiajKUmW2Z

#HKHICE #ClimateResilience #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #HKH #MountainSolutions #HIREAP @UKinNepal @grp_resilience

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Applications are open for our fully funded three-day permafrost workshop (Limited Seats)

This is what to expect:

🔹Learn GEOtop energy balance modelling, work with real Himalayan field data, understand snow, ground temps & surface energy fluxes.

Why it matters:

Permafrost is widespread across the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Field monitoring is extremely limited. This workshop is about closing that data gap with people who will actually go do the work.

Only 20 spots available.

Apply now: https://t.co/NmInkjZsJI

[ICIMOD @icimod]

We are pleased to announce the 12 winners of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs (HKH-ICE 2.0)

From sustainable chocolates to digital insurance, these startups are tackling pressing environmental and socio-economic challenges across the HKH region.

Chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants from Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts), Bhutan, and India (Himalayan states) and Nepal, the 12 winners were recognised at today's Leadership Academy by Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, alongside H.E. Rob Fenn, the British Ambassador to Nepal, and the CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership Jesper Hörnberg, each winner receives mentoring, leadership development, and prizes from USD 5,000 to 25,000.

Congratulations to this year’s winners. We look forward to seeing your solutions creating a lasting impact in the HKH region.

HKH-ICE 2.0 is an initiative of ICIMOD's Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) funded by UK International Development.

Learn more about the winners here - https://t.co/wiajKUmodr

#HKHICE #ClimateResilience #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #HKH #MountainSolutions

@UKinNepal

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Youth from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and the Arctic are on the frontlines of climate change, yet their voices remain underrepresented in global climate discussions.

A collaboration between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Arctic Circle, the Hindu Kush Himalaya-Arctic Youth Leadership Forum is the first cross-regional youth platform connecting polar and mountain voices.

The HKH-Arctic Youth Leadership Forum aims to connect youth leaders from the HKH and the Arctic regions to build solidarity, amplifying local and mountain youth voices towards co-creating sustainable and inclusive climate solutions.

As part of the HKH-Arctic Youth Leadership Forum champions’ profile series, ICIMOD has been releasing a series of profiles to amplify the voices of young leaders driving climate action across mountain regions.

Today, we are featuring, You Wu from China, an environmental economics professional, driven by a deep sense of responsibility to build a greener, better planet. She believes that solutions must be intergenerational and interregional, connecting people across borders and perspectives.

Wu currently works in carbon markets and is a member of the Global Shapers Community Beijing II Hub, part of a global, youth-led network of over 10,000 changemakers. Her journey from growing up in Beijing to living in the United Kingdom and working with the United Nations in Nepal has shaped her commitment to connecting China’s climate movement with global networks.

Hear from Wu as she explains why climate change is not the challenge of a single person or country. It is a global challenge that requires collective action, shaped and driven by communities worldwide.

Learn more about the HKH-Arctic youth champions here: https://t.co/hrntbcBmNm

#HKH #ArcticCircle #Youth #leadership #GlobalAdvocacy

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Pastoralist women from every inhabited continent have united to forge a renewed global agenda and action plan to strengthen rights, climate resilience, and sustainable rangeland stewardship, marking a major milestone during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 (IYRP 2026).

The Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women has delivered three key: the establishment of a global network of pastoralist women, a draft ‘Kathmandu Declaration’ (Mera +16) as a shared agenda and call to action, and a coordinated strategy to global policy spaces.

Read the full press release: https://t.co/1T72XptIaL

#GlobalGatheringofPastoralistWomen #MeraPlus16 #IYRP2026 #GGPWatICIMOD

[ICIMOD @icimod]

What does it take to sustain a pastoralist community?

At the Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women — "Mera+16" — women leaders from 40+ countries share what matters most: land rights, recognition, and the freedom to move.
Their voices carry the weight of generations. And their answers are a call to action.

#GlobalGatheringofPastoralistWomen #MeraPlus16 #IYRP2026 #GGPWatICIMOD

[ICIMOD @icimod]

At the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action,  “Water for Sustainable Development”, held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, our message was clear:

Water resilience must begin at the source.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya, together with neighbouring mountain regions of Central Asia, forms the wider Third Pole system, the largest store of ice outside the polar regions and a lifeline for nearly two billion people downstream.

Three priorities stand out:
🔹Acknowledge mountains as core water infrastructure.
🔹Align water with climate, ecosystems, disaster risk reduction, and source-to-sea basin management.
🔹Anchor regional institutions such as ICIMOD as implementation partners for Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) and the post-2030 water agenda.

"What happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains.

It moves through rivers, food systems, energy systems, ecosystems, economies, and communities.

Through basin networks and assessments across the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra River systems, ICIMOD is working with countries and experts to build shared evidence and a common understanding of climate and water risks from source to sea."

- Dr Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD Director General

#DushanbeWaterProcess #WaterActionDecade #SDG6 #UNWaterConference #WaterResilience #HinduKushHimalaya #ThirdPole #SourceToSea #ICIMOD

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Over 100 pastoralist women and allies from 40+ countries are in Kathmandu for the Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women — "Mera+16."

In 2010, the first Global Gathering in Mera, Gujarat, India produced the Mera Declaration: a landmark agenda articulating the rights and demands of pastoralist women worldwide.
Sixteen years on, women leaders from across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania are here to renew that agenda — in the face of accelerating climate change, land fragmentation, and social marginalisation.

#GlobalGatheringofPastoralistWomen #MeraPlus16 #IYRP2026 #GGPWatICIMOD #FAO

[International Mountain Tourism Alliance @IMTAOFFICIAL]

🌍International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 will kick off in Shennongjia

🧗As global tourism accelerates its green transition and traveler demand for eco-experiences and healthy lifestyles continues to grow, the International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 is scheduled to open on 29 May in Shennongjia Forestry District, Hubei Province. With the theme "Preserving World Heritage, Sharing the Prosperity of Famous Mountains — Zhiyin Hubei, Mysterious Shennongjia", theInternational Mountain Tourism Day Theme Events will bring together international organizations, national cultural and tourism bodies, members of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA), experts and scholars, and industry leaders. United by mountains and bound by a shared commitment to sustainability, participants will explore how environmental protection and economic development can flourish together, advancing the protection and use of World Heritage sites.

🌳Gathering in Shennongjia for the International Mountain Tourism Celebration

This event is organized by IMTA, and carried out jointly by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, the Shennongjia Forestry District People's Government, Hubei Cultural Tourism Group, and the IMTA Secretariat, with support from international organizations, including UN Tourism, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the World Tourism Alliance, the World Tourism Cities Federation, the ASEAN - China Centre, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and the Global Tourism Economy Forum.

The program features the opening ceremony and the Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 as its main part, complemented by the “Shenwuxia” International Eco-Cultural Tourism Corridor Development and Hubei Inbound Tourism Exchange, the Mountain Culture and Tourism Exhibition, IMTA Night of Shennongjia, the Investment and Business Meeting for Mountain Culture and Tourism, and Site Inspection Tours: Mountain Tourism Development.

The opening ceremony will feature addresses by senior officials and representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, IMTA, Hubei provincial institutions, international organizations, as well as foreign embassies and consulates in China. The Shennongjia Declaration will be released, and newly certificated “World Famous Tourism Mountains” will be officially issued. Annapurna of Himalayas, the "Roof of the World" and Shennongjia, the "Roof of Central China", will be formally established as sister mountains.

Themed "Ecological Conservation and Pathways for Innovative Development of Famous Tourism Mountains", the Dialogue among World Famous Mountains 2026 will bring together mountain management bodies from China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and beyond to share best practices in sustainable development of World Heritage sites. A roundtable dialogue featuring experts from PATA, the International Tourism Studies Association, MPS of FAO, World Animal Protection, and ICIMOD will explore how to strike a balance between tourism development and ecological conservation.

There is a rich array of supporting events. The Investment and Business Meeting for Mountain Culture and Tourism, the “Shenwuxia” International Eco-Cultural Tourism Corridor Development and Hubei Inbound Tourism Exchange, IMTA Night of Shennongjia, Cultural Performance: The Mysterious Shennongjia, and Site Inspection Tours: Mountain Tourism Development will foster deeper engagement. These experiences will immerse guests in Shennongjia's distinctive mountain culture and heritage, offering participants a multi-dimensional journey.

⛰️ Building a Shared Future: A New Chapter in Mountain Tourism Cooperation

International Mountain Tourism Day was established by IMTA to commemorate 29 May, the date of humanity's first successful ascent of Mount Everest. Since its inception in 2018, seven editions have been held in China, Nepal, Laos, France, Spain, and beyond. Each gathering has drawn wide industry attention through its distinctive themes, substantive programming, forward-thinking vision, and engaging format. The International Mountain Tourism Day has developed into a shared platform cultivated and benefited from by the global mountain tourism community and IMTA members, standing as one of IMTA's most visible and influential brands in shaping global tourism governance.

Shennongjia is the first heritage site in China to be collectively inscribed under three major UNESCO conservation frameworks: the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Reserve, Global Geopark and World Heritage Site, earning it the title of a "triple-accredited" heritage site. It safeguards Eurasia's most intact forest ecosystem and the Northern Hemisphere's most significant biodiversity at this latitude—an ecosystem of global importance, representativeness, typicality and rarity. By partnering with Hubei Province to host the International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 here, IMTA aims to create a premier global platform for mountain tourism dialogue, advance the protection and use of World Heritage sites, and share with the world China's vision and practical experience in fostering harmony between humanity and nature.
#InternationalMountainTourismDay #Shennongjia2026 #WorldHeritage #MountainTourism #IMTA @UNmountains

[ICIMOD @icimod]

The opening featured Chief Guest Honourable Minister Geeta Chaudhary, Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Nepal; Gunakar Bhatta, representing ICIMOD Board of Governors; Ken Shimizu, Resident Representative, FAO Nepal; Ang Furba Sherpa, Nepal herder representative; and Maria Fernandez-Gimenez, Co-coordinator, IYRP Working Group on Pastoralism and Gender.

#GlobalGatheringofPastoralistWomen #MeraPlus16 #IYRP2026 #GGPWatICIMOD

[ICIMOD @icimod]

Voices from rangelands across the world are coming together in Kathmandu.

The Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women is underway at ICIMOD, creating space for pastoralist women to exchange knowledge, strengthen solidarity, and influence global climate and land‑use conversation.