Kathmandu: ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho has called for priority in Sustainable Development and Climate Action across the Asia-Pacific region. “Future of sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region is inseparable from the future of our mountains. Safeguarding these critical systems is not only an environmental imperative but requires solutions in water security, climate resilience, economic stability, and sustainable prosperity, that are regional in scope and cooperative in nature.” said Pema Gyamtsho.
At the 9th Session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED-9) of the UN ESCAP High-Level Ministerial Conference, ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho called for mountains to be placed at the heart of sustainable development and climate action across the Asia-Pacific region.
Addressing ministers and senior delegates, Gyamtsho welcomed the growing recognition of mountains in global climate processes. Gyamtsho called for translating political commitments into concrete action that safeguards glaciers, restores ecosystems, and supports vulnerable mountain communities.
Gyamtsho reaffirmed ICIMOD’s commitment to working closely with UN ESCAP, its Regional Member Countries, UN agencies, and development partners to ensure mountain priorities are fully integrated into regional development agendas.
