ICIMOD’s Regional Programme Framework and Collaboration Potentials (e.g., Abu Dhabi Knowledge Forum)

1. ICIMOD’s Regional Programme Framework and Collaboration Potentials (e.g., Abu Dhabi Knowledge Forum)

2. Outline of presentation • ICIMOD’s programmatic framework • Regional and national focus programmes • Examples of regional research & national knowledge application work • Knowledge management and data sharing platforms • Abu Dhabi Knowledge Forum • Final remarks

3. Sustainable Livelihoods & Poverty Reduction Livelihoods - More sustainable Livelihood Livelihood Regional approach Regional approach People centered People centered Stable ecosystem services Multi-disciplinary team Multi-disciplinary team Environment Change & Ecosystem Services Ecosystem services Ecosystem services IKM/ DSS tools Institutional capacity building Institutional Capacity building IKM/ DSS tools Sustainable trans-boundary water res. mgmt. Integrated Water and Hazards Management Water & hazard ICIMOD’s Strategic Programs, Action Areas, Outcomes & Impacts Strategic Programs Implementation through Action Areas Outcomes/Impacts Participatory watershed management Biodiversity conservation Glaciers, climate change Rangeland management, community forestry Monitoring and impact assessment Information and knowledge management

4. ICIMOD’s programmatic approaches • Regional Approach: Research or Knowledge Development or Innovations activities • NationalApproach: Outreaching or Mainstreaming program activities

5. Purpose and Nature of Regional Programmes • Knowledge development is the goal • Minimum of three countries are to be involved to cover trans-boundary issues • Implemented with strategic partners and with support of resource centers outside RMC • ICIMOD’s role: Sets common goal, methodology and protocols and prepares concept proposal with partners’ inputs • ICIMOD coordinates implementation; Outputs: common data base, capacity dev., regional clearing house • National partners: Implementation in regional framework

6. Ongoing regional action research activities of ICIMOD Integrated Water & Hazards Management: • Cryosphere Monitoring • HKH-HYCOS: Regional Flood Information and Management Env. Change & Ecosystem Services: • Kailas Landscape Conservation Initiative • Policy reforms in Shifting Cultivation areas • Regional Rangeland Management Sustainable Livelihood & Poverty Reduction: • Value chain development in High value products & services • Livelihood adaptation in the Himalaya Knowledge Management & MENRIS: • HKH Regional Information Platform • HUC (EU-regional/Erasmus Mundus)

7. Purpose and Nature of National Programs • Works with national level cooperation partners, • Programs are of strategic importance with potentials for scaling up/outreaching, • National priorities are the basis for design • ICIMOD provides knowledge, skills, networking, training and in some cases seed money; • National partners organize the in-country resources.

8. Current National Programs • GTZ Indus Basin Project, Pakistan & Afghanistan; • GLOF Monitoring Project in Nepal; • REDD & Community Forestry, Nepal • Medicinal plants conservation project, India (planned) • Capacity Building of Afghan Universities • GLOF Disaster Risk Reduction, Pakistan • HIMALI project, Nepal

9. River Basin Approach: regional focus • Aim: • To address u/s d/s linkages • To develop holistic understanding of impact of CC on diverse sectors and stakeholders • To address transboundary issues • To support basin-wide adaptation and mitigation strategies Indus Sapta Koshi Outcome: Improved understanding of the RMC partners about climate change impacts on hydrological regimes of river basins of HKH region and improved ability of partners for planning adaptation measures

10. Example: Indus Basin Programme Glaciers in the Central Karakorum thickening and advancing, while glaciers in the adjacent areas to the North and West continue to diminish (Hewitt, 2005) The glacier area in Afghanistan and surrounding countries decreased by nearly 40% over the past 40 years (Zone, 2002) Kabul Jhelum Upper Indus Chenab The vast majority of the studies on different glaciers in the Western Himalayas show retreating snouts and decreasing glacial mass balances (UNEP, 2009) Ravi Beas Sutlej Indus Plain Glacier dynamics

11. Example: Indus Basin Programme • Multi scaling approach • Basin scale: Assessment of changes in water resources and demand dynamics • Sub-basin scale: process understanding, calibration of parameters (Pilot studies focusing on particular common sub-basins) • Programme approach • Addressing key uncertainties • Coordination and exchange between & among partners • Integration of tools (models) • compatibility of methodology • Cost/benefit/advantages/disadvantages/impacts (how can research results can address these factors?) • Short-term benefits (How to provide short-term solutions for long-term plans?)

12. Example: Indus Basin Program (2) • Engagement with partners: • Multiple stakeholders involvement in all riparian countries • Regular stock taking of relevant stakeholders • Engage decision makers for policy support and linkages • Research gateway/Knowledge platform • Metadata and common database • Develop profiles • Create fora for sharing and refining methodologies ( to identify data/information gaps; • Platform for sharing transboundary issues , solutions and knowledge • Provide regular policy briefs to decision makers

13. Indus Basin Research Foci (3) • Downscaling of climate change scenarios • Hydrological modeling • Role of Black Carbon and aerosols • Study of avalanche and permafrost • Setting up representative observation stations (> 5000 m) • Application of internationally standardized research methods

14. HIMALI Programme: national focus Investment project by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (ADB financed): High Mountain Agribusiness and Livelihood Improvement (HIMALI). To improve incomes, livelihood security, and enhanced socio-ecological resilience of rural mountain population to future climatic impacts in three vulnerable target districts in Nepal focusing on value chains.

15. The Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group: • The Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group (ADDG) is a partnership of senior members of government, academia and civil society from the seven countries that share the Rivers of the Greater Himalayas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

16. The Abu Dhabi Knowledge Committee: • The Abu Dhabi Knowledge Committee provides guidance on thematic research priorities to the Abu Dhabi Knowledge Forum and the selection committee of the Small Grants Fund to ensure that regional collaborative research topics have significant policy relevance.

17. Abu Dhabi Small Grants Fund : Purpose • To facilitate collaboration among knowledge institutions from different Himalayan countries sharing Rivers and support them to work together • Proposals will be called from research partnerships representing two or more countries to: a) initiate new knowledge generation, b) expand current (national) project activities across boundaries, c) disseminate knowledge within the region.

18. Grant Administration Mechanism • ICIMOD will administer the Small Grants Fund and will: a) Calls for proposals b) Convene a selection committee (WB, ICIMOD) c) Manage the flow of funds, and monitor outputs

19. Integrated Data Platform • Linking documents, images, photos, data • Can be visualized/retrieved in spatial and non spatial way • Layers of accessibility/ security • Collection based upon minimum datasets and links/pointers to external databases • Integration/extension of existing databases • Map and data services

20. Disaster Water / Cryosphere Poverty/ Livelihood Biodiversity Land cover/use ICIMOD Strategic Priorities Local area network • Spatial Database • Vector • Image • MoDIS • Derivative Products Non-spatial Database - Census data - Monitoring (transect) - Economic and financial indicators - Environment, biodiversity related indicators Enterprise GIS/ Database Spatial Non-spatial Metadata ArcGIS Server Map Services Data Services Online GIS Application Internet PublicUser 1 PublicUser 2

21. Various sector and thematic databases can not ‘talk’ to each other Snow and glaciers mapping Transboundary landscapes HKH-HYCOS-Flood info system Biodiversity Migration Regional Landcover mapping

22. SERVIR Himalaya - USAID / NASA, GEOSS, ICIMOD and RMCs partnership; - Five-year Framework 2010 - 2014 Augment capacity of ICIMOD and its partners; Earth observation and in-situ data combined with decision tools; Demand-driven applications; Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting; Regional status and trends;

23. SERVIR has been recognized by the Group on Earth Observations as an early achiever of the GEO vision

25. Final Remarks ICIMOD aims: to enhance socio-economic and ecological resilience of mountain population to climate change, water shortages and ecosystem degradation in the region. • Key Areas: • Himalayan river basins • Sustainability of ecosystem services • Livelihood improvement of mountain people • Knowledge hub, capacity building and facilitation of regional dialogue

26. Thank you