In a bid to address critical gaps in adaptation planning and implementation in Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH), UN Climate Change, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Adaptation Network and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have joined efforts to close adaptation knowledge disparities.
The LAKI, a collaborative initiative between the UNFCCC and UNEP’s Global Adaptation Network (GAN), is an action pledge under the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP), aiming to bridge knowledge barriers that hinder adaptation efforts in subregions. The ICIMOD serves as a sub-regional coordination entity for the HKH.
The LAKI HKH first phase involved organization of the priority-setting workshop in 2016, resulting in the identification of 16 priority knowledge gaps. During the second phase of the LAKI HKH, UNFCCC, UNEP and ICIMOD, are working together with national, regional organizations, networks and experts, focusing on understanding knowledge gaps and ways to address these priority knowledge gaps and increase resilience in the subregion.
A virtual expert meeting on March 6-7, 2024, brought together 20 experts from nine institutions, co-designing actions to address the priority knowledge gaps for the defined targeted knowledge users for the HKH.
The two-day meeting was the culmination of an extensive series of in-person and virtual pre-engagement consultations involving the stocktake of 71 initiatives across the HKH region. The consultations were pivotal in laying a solid foundation for developing action plans for new initiatives and scaling up of existing work. The meeting was strategically designed to foster collaborative actions and partnerships aimed closing the most pertinent adaptation knowledge gaps for HKH.
During the discussion, the priority knowledge gaps including; poor translations of climate data and models into understandable formats, lack of awareness among public and media about climate change health impacts and adaptation measures, limited understanding of traditional knowledge and indigenous knowledge on agricultural adaptation, the need for repackaging the baseline data on the effects of climate change for forests and biodiversity for different target groups and Insufficient climate change communication on impacts on water systems to determine climate change impacts and inform decision-making in designing water resource plans and implementation were emphasized, owing to the limited actions in addressing these gaps.
"Through our scientific capacity development program, which encompasses global change research in the Asia-Pacific region, we're not only engaging in comprehensive regional research but also enhancing the capabilities of local researchers in countries such as Nepal and Bhutan." -Naomi Young, Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) Secretariat.
Moreover, experts also discussed opportunities to scale up outputs associated with the initiatives implemented at addressing knowledge gaps including; limited access to traditional knowledge and indigenous knowledge on agricultural adaptation, poor translations of climate data and models into understandable formats , limited understanding of traditional knowledge and indigenous knowledge on agricultural adaptation, lack of adequate knowledge on the effects of climate change on biodiversity and the need for repackaging the baseline data on the effects of climate change for forests and biodiversity for different target groups in other countries with the subregion.
"Systematic documentation of outcomes is crucial, acknowledging that outcomes are often qualitative and challenging to quantify. Categorizing outcomes into stages for better tracking and management enhances our understanding of impact over time." - Farid Ahmad, ICIMOD.
The two-day expert meeting resulted in 15 concrete actions proposed by 9 organizations at the expert meeting. Examples include: scaling up a framework for a forest landscape-based vulnerability assessment approach by Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) currently tested in Nepal in other countries in the subregion; showcasing disasters’ impacts and risks for key sectors under different climate scenarios (current, 1.5 and 2 degree increase) as well as developing automated impact-based forecasting tool for more detailed analysis by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The APN secretariat, UNESCAP and the UNFCCC secretariat will also explore collaboration to support further knowledge sharing, dissemination, and repackaging of knowledge for new, scaled-up, and tangible actions, including coordination among data portals.
The outcomes have also led to increased understanding of the importance of applying monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for measuring the success of the LAKI outcomes in the subregion.
The next steps will include facilitating the implementation of the identified actions in closing the knowledge gaps, in partnership with UNFCCC, UNEP GAN, ICIMOD, UNFCCC – RCC MENA and South Asia, and partners in the subregion.
Further information on the technical expert meeting: https://unfccc.int/event/LAKI-HKHII-second-meeting
Further information on the LAKI for HKH: https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/nwpstaging/Pages/LAKI_HKH.aspx
