Human security under climate stress in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region: A scoping assessment

This report examines how climate change is reshaping human security in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, focusing on Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Prepared jointly by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and United Nations University (UNU), the assessment draws on literature review, secondary data analysis, country consultation workshops, focus group discussions, expert interviews, and systems analysis. It applies an integrated framework to analyze how climate impacts cascade through interconnected food, water, and energy systems, livelihoods, migration, and governance, creating compound risks to human wellbeing.

The report finds that the HKH has warmed faster than the global average, glaciers are retreating rapidly, extreme weather events are increasing, and climate risks are propagating across water, food, energy, livelihood, and migration systems. It highlights increasing food and water insecurity, growing climate-induced mobility, pressure on infrastructure and institutions, and widening impacts on vulnerable populations. The report calls for systemic transformation through integrated risk management, climate-resilient development, strengthened regional cooperation, improved climate finance, technology transfer, social protection, and governance mechanisms that address interconnected climate risks and human security challenges.