UN Climate Change and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have launched the Hindu Kush Himalaya Regional Climate Action Transparency Hub (HKHRCATH), marking a significant milestone for climate governance across the Himalayan region.
The announcement follows a three-year memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, establishing a long-term platform to strengthen transparency, reporting, and data sharing in the world’s most densely populated mountain system.
The hub serves ICIMOD’s eight Regional Member Countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. It is designed to drive sustained capacity building, improve climate reporting systems, and promote knowledge exchange among nations confronting similar climate risks.
The hub was launched during a regional stakeholder consultation in Paro, Bhutan, where government representatives identified priority steps for implementing the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) across the HKH region.
Describing the initiative as a major milestone, ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho said the transparency hub will support countries in tracking progress, identifying challenges, and developing coordinated responses. It will also boost countries’ ability to deliver and report on commitments.
Representing the UNFCCC secretariat, Jigme, Manager of the Transparency Division, underscored the importance of ETF, calling it the backbone of mutual trust and ambition, enabling countries to clearly assess climate progress, needs, and vulnerabilities.
The transparency hub will enhance reporting capabilities to support national decision-makers, investors, and stakeholders in accelerating mitigation and adaptation actions. It aims to enable evidence-based policymaking, mobilise resources, and strengthen mutual trust among HKH countries.
Consultation findings will shape the hub’s future activities, including its role as a regional technical centre for accessing transparency-related resources.
The launch comes soon after the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, where ICIMOD and HKH governments advanced mountain priorities ranging from climate finance and transparent reporting to loss-and-damage mechanisms.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya — the “Water Tower of Asia” — is warming faster than the global average, experiencing more extreme and erratic weather events, including flash floods, prolonged droughts, and intense rainfall. These mounting climate stresses are threatening lives, livelihoods, and critical ecosystems across the region.
ICIMOD has welcomed the new hub as a much-needed gateway for strengthened regional cooperation, improved knowledge sharing, and targeted financing to safeguard mountain communities — and billions downstream who depend on the HKH’s rivers and resources.