Baku: On the day that scientists warn of ‘extreme’ and mounting economic costs from snow and ice loss, which broke records in 2023, the leaders from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries met to discuss the crisis in the continent’s largest frozen water stores, the HKH on Tuesday.
Ministers and heads of delegations from six of the eight countries that share the Earth’s tallest cryosphere zone met at a meeting hosted by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Hon’ble Tshering Tobgay on day two of the global climate conference COP29 in Azerbaijan, 12 November.
The event was attended by Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, Minister, Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; Romina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to Prime Minister for the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, Pakistan; Farhina Ahmad, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh; Naresh Pal Gangwar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, India; Karma Tshering, Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bhutan and Lu Shixun, Deputy Director General, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China.
Also present were Dinara Kemelova, Special Envoy Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council and key representatives from the World Bank, UNESCO, ADB and UNEP.
“The HKH region – this biodiversity hotspot to the world – a repository of some of the world’s biggest amounts of ice – this water tower that supports almost 2 billion people, is at risk,” said Tobgay.
“We are vulnerable, and the effects of climate change are already affecting our entire region. The fact that our fast ascending towards 1.5 degree Celsius will accelerate disasters for the entire region, 240 million people in HKH and 1.6 billion live downstream. We need to do more. We need to come together with a unified source of vision, with one voice and call for action.”
Nepal’s Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri shared urgent reminders of climate vulnerability, noting the recent devastating Thame flood that swept away an entire village and the September floods that tragically claimed over 150 lives. He called for solidarity in the fight against climate change and urged everyone to work toward a global partnership.
Romina Khurseed emphasized unity, stating, “As we gather here in Baku, let us unite to protect the invaluable resources of the HKH region through strengthened cooperation, targeted investments and mobilization of international support, we can foster a sustainable resilient future for the HKH region because it’s not you, it’s not me. It is us.”
Bangladesh stressed that climate crisis is impacting not only their own country but the entire region. ‘Not only Bangladesh, but the whole region is suffering. It is immeasurable. And if we remain and do our business as usual, the problem will get severe. We should act to prevent the ongoing loss,’ the representative stated. Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to raising these issues, both in regional dialogues and through national platforms, to advocate for the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.
India, meanwhile, highlighted air pollution as a pressing, shared challenge within the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. “Most of our countries fall under the same air-shed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. This is a transboundary issue. All countries must work together to address air pollution,” stated Naresh Pal Gangwar. He urged nations, particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders.
Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the intergovernmental research centre for the HKH region, said: “Yet again, across this region this year, families have been mourning their dead, counting lost land, livelihoods, and heritage, or facing up to the agonizing dilemma, of whether to stay in mountain towns and villages, and try to adapt to hugely uncertain conditions, or abandon homes and sever ties with landscapes to which their communities have been entwined for millennia.
“To address this escalating crisis, we must prioritize disaster preparedness, boost adaptation financing and target it where it matters most, pursue the win-win potential of tackling air pollution, drive new investments, quantify economic costs to advocate effectively for loss and damage finance, and support stronger policy coordination.”
Going forward, Bhutan’s Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, presented the need to strengthen regional cooperation on several issues of common concerns and interests including cryosphere risk monitoring, disaster preparedness and early warning systems, including resilient infrastructures, air pollution, biodiversity conservation along with building capacity of the region to access funding from global funds such as Adaptation fund, GEF and GCF, innovative financing solutions, coordination and support at global forums like COPs to represent and amplify common HKH issues and concerns. Most importantly, he emphasised the need to have a biennial ministers’ meeting as agreed in the 2020 Ministerial Mountain Summit.
Given the transboundary nature of the issues faced by HKH countries, there is a dire need for cooperation, engagements, and a coherent regional mechanism.
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