The main aim is to enhance practical and relevant knowledge, build capacity, and transfer technical knowhow on green economy project planning and policy-making in response to climate change and persistent poverty in the Mountain countries. Mountain countries with their rich water, biodiversity including agro biodiversity, and traditional knowledge are largely following a low carbon growth path in their development policies and programs. However, the persistent poverty, social and gender inequity, and increasing disaster risks are calling for renewed actions for building resilience in all sectors and redraw the sustainable development roadmaps.
Source: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Activities to be carried out:
1. A regional knowledge development and sharing workshop to learn from existing and traditional knowledge systems, experiences and good practices to facilitate the implementation of local, national and regional actions to promote green/low carbon economy and adaptive growth strategies and polices;
2. Action research and dissemination of environmentally, socially and economically sound green and adaptive development policy, practices and institutional framework suitable for mountain regions in relation to the promotion of a green economy and climate change adaptation and mitigation;
3. Documentation of best practice case studies aimed to identify good adaptation, mitigation, and livelihood development solutions and mechanisms (market and non-market based) in order to prepare Green Technology Catalogue for the mountain regions for their potential up-scaling of green and sustainable development.

Implementation Period: From: 01/09/2012 To: 30/06/2013

Deliverables / Outputs:

1. Policy development guidelines and manuals, economic modeling tools and instruments and catalogue of good practices on green economy identified and shared to feed into national and international negotiation and policy processes with a view to promote actions towards adaptation to climate change and the promotion of green economy [Two Policy briefs focused on HKH and SE Asian mountain regions have already been made available at the Rio+20 summit].
2. Good practices on economic policies for adaptation to climate change and promotion of green economy are identified and disseminated [A report will be available].
3. A regional workshop organized and cross-country knowledge, experiences and good practices shared among the regional member countries for facilitating regional actions in promoting green economy and climate change adaptation and mitigation. [A report will be available]

Anticipated Impact:

The proposed action research and knowledge sharing commitment will have regional and global significance for the mountainous countries and regions. It aims to fill-in the critical knowledge gaps and facilitate actions in raising awareness, forging multi-dimensional partnership, building capacities of key institutions of regional and global mountain regions, with a particular focus on Himalayan countries for designing appropriate policy and institutional mechanisms in adaptation to climate change and promotion of green economy and alleviating poverty.

The immediate beneficiaries of the research will be the national governments of the eight countries of the HKH region. The action research pledge will provide new insights and understanding that would enable decision makers about the economic tools and approaches dealing with adaptation to climate change and promotion of green economy.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the action research and resulting knowledge and good practices would be the poor and enterprising mountain people and down-stream communities who depend on the Himalayan ecosystem resources for their sustenance.

Additional Comments/Plans:

This project will be implemented with close collaboration with the Himalayan Initiative from Climate Change Adaptation (HICAP), an ICIMOD program funded by Norwegian government and national Planning Commission of Nepal building complementarities and synergies as well as forging collaboration and co-operation.
ICIMOD will lead and coordinate this action research and knowledge management initiative on Green Economy in the Mountains forming a multi-disciplinary research team based on the expertise of ICIMOD and its partners.
Other possible Project and policy development partners are concerned Ministries/Government Agencies from Nepal and other ICIMOD member countries; Research partners are: Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Bangladesh, Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP), China, Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), India, Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research (CMDR), India, Centre for Economic and Applied Statistics, South Asian Institute of Management (SAIM), Nepal, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Pakistan.