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Regional Consultation on Climate Services for  the Third Pole and other High Mountain Regions

9-11 March 2016, Jaipur, India

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, also known as the Third Pole region, spans Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The Third Pole region covers an area of more than 4.3 million square kilometers and hosts a large and culturally diverse human population. The Third Pole, which contains vast cryospheric zones, contains the world's largest store of snow and ice outside the polar region, is the source of ten major rivers, and is particularly sensitive to climate change.

The WMO Executive Council (EC) through its Panel of Experts on Polar and High Mountain Observations, Research and Services noted the major impact of the Third Pole region on regional weather and climate, and on water availability, and the vulnerability of its natural environment. Indeed, the rate of warming in the Third Pole region has been higher than the global average. Significantly, changes to the cryosphere in high-altitude Asia will directly impact not only local and adjacent regions, but also produce socio-economic impacts on downstream regions.

Regional stakeholder consultation

The Regional Consultation on Climate Services for the Third Pole and other High Mountain Regions will bring together experts from the NMHSs and the key decision-makers and practitioners from the five priority areas of the GFCS. It will facilitate the identification of appropriate mechanisms and networks to improve and sustain the flow of climate information for high mountain communities and other key users of this information.
The Third Pole regional consultation aims to produce the following specific outcomes:

1. enhanced understanding of the needs for climate services in the following user sectors: agriculture and food security, water, health, disaster risk reduction and energy;
2. improved knowledge of the existing interface mechanisms and recommendations for improvements where needed;
3. clear understanding of capacity development needs to implement the GFCS at regional and national levels;
4. agreement on the necessary steps to develop a robust plan for the development of climate services for the Third Pole and other high mountain regions; and
5. strategic guidance on institutional arrangements, partnerships and processes required to operationalize the GFCS at the regional and national level.

Venue

• Holiday Inn Jaipur City Centre

Documents

• Concept Note: Regional Consultation on Climate Services for the Third Pole and other High Mountain Regions
• Agenda
• The Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas, Impact of climate change on water resources in five of Asia's major river basins
• Draft report: Consultation Report, Regional Consultation on Climate Services for the Third Pole Region, Jaipur, India, 9-11 March 2016

Presentations

• Overview of Global Framework for Climate Services

Session II: Provision and application of climate services in the Third Pole region: opportunities and challenges

• Indian Meteorological Department: RCC (Demonstration Phase)
• RIMES: Translating Climate Information into Climate Services
• ICID: Requirements of climate services in South Asian Region: A GWP Perspective
• ICIMOD: Overview of current status of climate services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region
• India: BIMSTEC Centre for Weather & Climate

Session III: National capabilities for production, management, delivery and/or application of climate information and services

• Afghanistan
• Bhutan
• China
• India
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Bhutan case study: provision and use of climate services

Session IV: GFCS priority sectors: current status of the use and needs for climate services and interfacing mechanisms

• Agriculture and Food Security
• University of Southern Queensland, Australia: Climate and Agriculture – Key Challenges and Opportunities
• IMD : Current status of the use and needs for climate services and interfacing mechanisms
• Nepal: Delivery and Application of Climate Services in Agricultural Sector
• Water
  • German Federal Institute of Hydrology: Water in the third pole region in the context of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)
  • Myanmar: Implementation by Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems (DWIR) in Myanmar
• Health
  • IMD: Climate and health
• Disaster Risk Reduction
  • IMD: Disaster Risk Reduction: Kedarnath Case
  • Hazards in Myanmar
  • Mongolia: Disaster Risk Reduction in Mongolia
• Energy
  • IMD: Scope of Climate Services for the Energy Sector

Session V: The Cryosphere

• ICIMOD, Nepal: Observation of cryosphere
• GEWEX: GEWEX Activities and Observations in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region
• Bhutan: Cryosphere Observation in Bhutan
• UNESCO Cluster Office for South Asia, New Delhi: UNESCO’s Experience of Addressing Climate Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability in Mountain Systems
• NCAOR, India: The changing Himalayan cryosphere and likely consequences
• IISER Bhopal, India: Identifying climate information needs for Himalayan India

Session VI: The GFCS Pillars: Developing climate services at the national level

• User Interface Platform
• Climate Services Information System
• Observations and Monitoring
• Research, Modelling and Prediction
• Capacity Development

Session VII: Results of Sectoral Break-out Working Groups

• Agriculture and Food Security sector
• Health sector
• Disaster Risk Reduction sector
• Energy sector

Session VIII: Strengthening the interaction between the climate community of the Third Pole region and the climate information user communities

• Key outcomes, recommendations and next steps