International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Lore & Background

The idea for ICIMOD was first discussed in December 1974 at the International Workshop on the Development of Mountain Environment in Munich, Germany. Concrete commitments were made in 1979 during a UNESCO Regional Meeting in Kathmandu under the Man and Biosphere Programme. The Government of Nepal offered to host the institution, and the Governments of Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany and UNESCO agreed to act as founding sponsors. The centre was established and inaugurated on 5 December 1983, legitimised through an Act of Parliament in Nepal that same year.

For its first 20 years, ICIMOD operated from rented premises in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. On 5 December 2004, a new headquarters was inaugurated at Khumaltar, Lalitpur, on 1.5 hectares of land contributed by the Government of Nepal. The governments of China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan contributed funds or pavilions. During the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, the headquarters suffered minor damage, but the Bhutan pavilion completely collapsed; it was rebuilt and re-inaugurated in 2016.

Since its inception, ICIMOD has been headed by a male Director General. The first head, Kenneth Colin Rosser from the United Kingdom, was designated as 'Director'; all subsequent heads have been 'Director Generals'. From 1984 until 2020, all Directors were from outside the Himalaya region. The current Director General, Pema Gyamtsho from Bhutan, took office in 2020.

Reader's Guide

ICIMOD serves as a unique intergovernmental platform for the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, a vast area encompassing mountain ranges from the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan to the Arakan range in Myanmar, including the Tibetan Plateau. Its significance lies in fostering collaboration among eight countries with often divergent national interests, using research and knowledge sharing to address shared environmental challenges. The centre's work includes earth observation science, such as the Regional Land Cover Monitoring System providing annual land cover maps from 2000 to 2018, and rapid mapping of flood inundation and soil erosion.

Following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, ICIMOD scientists supported rescue efforts by monitoring landslides and glacier lakes via satellite images, and volunteers aided relief in nearby villages. A 2021 World Bank case study noted ICIMOD's role as an apolitical intergovernmental platform that proactively engages political constituencies, builds reputation through research, and hires recognized experts. Its funding comes from long-term sponsors including the governments of all eight regional member countries and several others such as Australia, Austria, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as programme donors like the EU, USAID, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.