Norway renews collaboration supporting sustainable mountain development across the HKH

Achieving transformative change in the lives of mountain people across the eight countries sharing the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – is the shared aim of the Government of Norway and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Signing an agreement for 100 million NOK, (about 13 million US Dollars), supporting that change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway and ICIMOD seek to work towards the fulfillment of high priority and HKH-specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The work will support ICIMOD’s overall aim of sustainable mountain development for mountains and people, and will also promote collaboration between countries to support SDGs. Focus areas of the grant include work on the cryosphere and water resources, adaptation to climate plus other changes, mitigation of air pollution and sustainable energy. Norway’s Minister of International Development, Nikolai Astrup said, “It is crucial that everyone comes together to support sustainable development in the region through inclusive poverty alleviation, knowledge development, and regional cooperation. ICIMOD will be a key actor in achieving this.” ICIMOD’s Director General David Molden also affirmed that financial support for ICIMOD from the Government of Norway has “significantly enabled us to deepen our engagements across countries of the HKH. With this long-term funding, ICIMOD retains its flexibility to effectively respond to shared mountain priorities of our regional member countries, and to promote cooperation between countries to meet environmental and development challenges.”