The first ever International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)-India Day will be celebrated here tomorrow. The Ministry of Environment & Forests  and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have jointly organized it. ICIMOD, an intergovernmental institution, brings together a partnership of eight regional member countries namely Afghanistan, Nepal, India, China, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan and institutions within and outside the region. The event is mainly to take stock, highlight the activities and achievements, and to further strengthen collaboration of ICIMOD in India. The event provides an opportunity to bring together the potential partners in India so as to intensify participation in addressing issues of mutual interest at local and regional level.    

Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Environment & Forests, will be the Chief Guest, and Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister for Science & Technology, GoI, will preside over the inaugural session of ICIMOD-India day celebration. Dr. Andreas Schield, Director General, ICIMOD will host the event. Senior level officials from various Ministries, Government Departments and Academia in India and scientists from ICIMOD will interact and deliberate on issues of priority attention in the Himalaya. Among others, the Dignitaries from Corporate Sector, will participate and exchange views with the thematic experts.

Considering the fragility and importance of the Himalaya, Government of India has taken several initiatives towards sustainable development of the Himalayan region and also strengthening the regional collaboration with organizations like ICIMOD. Among others, G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), an Autonomous Institute of MoEF, has been established to advance scientific knowledge and ensure environmentally sound development in the entire Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Both ICIMOD and GBPIHED, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sept 25, 2008 to increase the potential for mutually beneficial research work, enable efficient co-ordination and ensure the sustainability of partnership. Further, it was also to appreciate each other’s comparative advantages and collaborate to achieve the environmentally sustainable development in IHR through establishing a mutually agreed mechanism of experience sharing.

The theme of the day-long conference is ‘Challenges in Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation – Potential for Collaboration between ICIMOD and India’. The discussion will cover subjects like ICIMOD Current Priorities and Programmes, The country profile of India in the HKH region, India-ICIMOD collaboration: Status and Review, perspectives for Regional cooperation, Green Economy: Challenges for Indian Himalayas, Green India Mission: Mountain Perspectives, Mountain Green Economy, Glacial Melting and Black Carbon: Indian Initiative, Atmospheric Change in the HKH Region: Potential Role of a Regional Organisation like ICIMOD, Ecosystem management Approach in Trans-boundary Landscapes-Indian Experience, Perspectives on National Mission on sustainability of Himalayan Ecosystems and Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme: Process Appraisal.

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KP/DB