Adaptation Fund Paves Way for Strengthening Cooperation on Climate Change

The Board of the Adaptation Fund announced its decision to accredit the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) as an Adaptation Fund Regional Implementing Entity (RIE) (AF).

ICIMOD is one of the seven organisations in the world which have recently received RIE accreditation and the only one in Asia and the Pacific, an ICIMOD press release said, reports AFP.

ICIMOD Director General Dr Pema Gyamtsho expressed the institution’s encouragement at the accreditation, saying “We are deeply encouraged by the news of our AF accreditation. This will allow us to support our eight member countries across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) in their concrete adaptation projects and to strengthen regional cooperation on the climate action that is required to address our shared climate crisis.”

Since HKH is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, this is an accomplishment for our region, not just as an institution for ICIMOD, he said.

“We are very pleased with the accreditation of ICIMOD. It will help further the work of the Adaptation Fund, particularly in mountain regions that are vulnerable to glacial melt, floods and water insecurity,” said Adaptation Fund Board Chair Ibila Djibril.

“The Adaptation Fund has several projects in this region, and the accreditation of ICIMOD will help build upon that work and expand it into additional vulnerable areas that are in urgent need of adaptation solutions.

Climate impacts on floods and water security are often transboundary, and one of the advantages of ICIMOD is its ability to implement regional projects, in addition to ones focused on individual countries,” said Mikko Ollikainen, Manager of the Adaptation Fund.

The AF finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change in developing countries.

AF's priority activities aim to produce visible and tangible results on the ground by reducing vulnerability and increasing the adaptive capacity of human and natural systems, including climate variability, to respond to the impacts of climate change. Such projects of adaptation and

programmes can be implemented at the community, national, regional and transboundary levels.

ICIMOD Director of Strategic Cooperation Basanta Shrestha said: “ICIMOD’s AF accreditation helps the entire region since so many of the impacts of climate change are not bound by country borders but are transboundary in nature, requiring a regional approach. Particularly vulnerable mountain communities are at the front line of climate impacts and we are eager to further our work on adaptation and building resilience to ensure that these communities are not left behind.”