Renewed support for SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya regional hub

Our SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya (SERVIR-HKH) Initiative has been extended for a five-year period following the signing of a public international organization agreement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

We have been implementing the SERVIR-HKH Initiative – one of five regional hubs of the SERVIR network – in our Regional Member Countries, prioritizing capacity building and science activities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Under the new agreement, the initiative will continue collaboration with partner countries, organizations, and other stakeholders in the development and application of geospatial technologies, analysis, and information dissemination to address development challenges across thematic priorities in agriculture and food security, water resources and hydro-climatic disasters, land cover and land use change and ecosystems, and weather and climate services. The initiative will also incorporate new thematic areas of interest, such as air quality monitoring and management. It will build capacities of regional and national organizations to support women and girls in STEM, training them to use Earth observation and Earth science technologies to inform and improve development decision making in ways that are gender responsive.

SERVIR is a USAID and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partnership that builds lasting regional and national capacities to integrate technology and satellite data into development decision making in order to deliver solutions that build resilience and address priority development challenges. These challenges include food security, water and natural resource management, land use and land use change for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, climate adaptation, and hydroclimatic disaster preparedness and response.

NASA brings world-class science and data from its constellation of satellites, and USAID brings development partners and relationships around the world to this unique programme. SERVIR emphasizes the use of Earth observations, environmental monitoring, and visualization tools to fill key information gaps in data-scarce, developing countries. While SERVIR draws from cutting-edge science and technology, the programme is ultimately focused on development impact and enabling countries to manage risks independently – advancing partner countries on their journeys to self-reliance.

By using a multi-faceted approach for promoting gender equality, social inclusion, and a culture of using science for society, the Initiative will be better positioned to achieve the goal of increased use of Earth observation information for development, including early action for risk mitigation and resilience building, and sustainable resource management.

SERVIR-HKH was established at ICIMOD as the regional hub of the global SERVIR network for the Hindu Kush Himalayan region in 2010.