Pakistan hikes support to ICIMOD

THT Online

KATHMANDU: The government of Pakistan increased its contribution to ICIMOD with the disbursement of US$224,000 for the years 2009 and 2010.

The member countries’ core contributions support the implementation of ICIMOD’s current strategy and programme framework, states a press release issued by ICIMOD on Thursday.

Pakistan’s pioneering effort to enhance its contribution follows a call made by the Centre’s Board of Governors and the ICIMOD Support Group during its annual meeting. ICIMOD has eight regional member countries in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region including Pakistan. The other member countries which include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, are also considering further enhancing this in the future.

The Centre is a regional knowledge, learning and enabling centre with a current focus on three key strategic areas of water, environmental services, and livelihood, the release said, adding that ICIMOD’s strategy aims to benefit not only the people of the mountain region but also close to 1.3 billion people living in the river basins below who depend on the waters and ecosystem services provided by the Himalayas.

Pakistan’s move is timely and much appreciated and will enhance regional ownership as well as strengthen ICIMOD‘s capacity to work as a knowledge partner to improve the livelihoods of mountain people, the release said.