The 2018 International Mountain Day (IMD18) will be organized on the side line of the COP24 in an informal gathering of friends, supporters and partners of #MountainsMatter – the theme of the International Mountain Day of 2018. The lead host of the event is the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE), Govt. of Nepal. The Centre for Green Economy Development-Nepal, the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), IUCN; Mountain Ecosystem Specialist Group of the CEM will also be supporting the event. The aim of the IMD18 with a focus on the HKH will be to:

1. Share the background, objectives and major components of the Kathmandu Draft Declaration on Cryosphere, Glacier Melting and Mountain Economy agreed by the participants of the HKH Regional Conference on Cryosphere, Glacier Melting and Mountain Economy held in Kathmandu, Nepal during Sept. 17-18, 2018. The conference was attended by the participants from Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
2. Share the future actions to be planned and implemented as a part of the operationalization of the declaration to strengthen the resilience of the HKH Mountains under the theme of Mountain and Green Economy development;
3. Promote better understanding of the critical role Himalayan Cryosphere and Glaciers play in protecting and ensuring food, water, energy and biodiversity security of the countries – critical for improving mountain economy;

The organisers feel that it is very important to raise awareness on the changes and challenges the HKH Mountains are facing due to the fast pace of climate change on the International Mountain Day (IMD). Recognising the rapid melting of glaciers and its implications on Mountain Economy, the event will be an opportunity to build common approaches to solve common problems and develop common strategies among HKH countries to sustainably use himalayan Cryosphere resources especially fresh water and related energy and biodiversity resources.

The organisers hope to develop a good understanding among the participants on the following steps to achieve the goal of the Resilient HKH region:

• Increase political awareness on mountain-specific climate vulnerabilities and an urgent need for mountain-specific adaptation, mitigation and DRR programmes;
• Recognize the contribution of mountain ecosystem services in enhancing food, energy, water and livelihood security and explore potential for harnessing them to achieve sustainable development goals and Paris agreement;
• Communicate the broader economic and environmental values of mountain ecosystem goods and services, especially water and biodiversity in supporting adaptation measures and efforts to build the resilience in both upstream and downstream regions.
• Promote the Knowledge-Policy Platform for better networking among the stakeholders in the HKH region through knowledge development, management, capacity building, and participatory action research (PAR) and mountain economy development programme implementation activities in the region.

Tentative Programme:
Moderator: Dr. Maheshwar Dhakal, UNFCCC Focal point, Nepal
Chair: Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota, Former Vice-Chair National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal

1. Setting the scene with a 6 minutes video presentation
2. Opening remarks: Dr. Bishwa Nath Oli, Secretary, Ministry of Forest (via Skype)
3. Report on the Kathmandu Draft Declaration on Glaciers and Mountain Economy: Madhav Karki, Executive Director, CGED-Nepal
4. Investment opportunities in Research and Knowledge generation and application to promote mountain and green economic development: Bernice Van Bronkhorst, Director of Climate Change, The World Bank Group
5. EcoDRR and Nature Based Solutions in building Resilient Mountains: Angela Andrade, Chair, Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), IUCN
6. Role of Mountain Partnership, FAO, Rome in promoting sustainable mountain development: (tbc)
7. Informal Interactions among stakeholders
8. Wrap-up: Dr. Dhakal and Dr. Devkota
9. Reception cum Dinner

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