REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND, 29 October 2025 – Climate and environmental change are having disproportionate negative effects on the world’s young people, who keenly feel the impacts on their homes, cultures, and the future. This is especially felt by youth in two of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions: the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and the Arctic. In these regions, the cryosphere is rapidly disappearing – this includes glacier ice, snow, permafrost (frozen ground), lake, river, and sea ice – changing lives, livelihoods, biodiversity, and landscapes dramatically.
The HKH is warming at twice the global average, while the Arctic is warming nearly four times faster. At the heart of this crisis are the young people of these regions, yet they are underrepresented in global decision-making on climate change impacts and action.
Recognising the need for stronger collaboration and action, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Arctic Circle jointly launched the 2025 HKH-Arctic Youth Leadership Forum in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 18 October 2025. This is the first cross-regional youth platform connecting the polar and the mountain voices.
During the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly, ICIMOD Director General, Pema Gyamtsho, and Arctic Circle Chairman, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson officially introduced six young people from the HKH countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and six from the Arctic – Canada, Norway, and the United States as champions of the Hindu Kush Himalaya-Arctic Youth Leadership Forum.
This forum will connect youth leaders from both regions to build solidarity, amplifying local and mountain youth voices towards co-creating sustainable and inclusive climate solutions.
“The fight against climate change cannot be won by one region. Every region, every nation, must cooperate. Just winning the fight in one part of the world is not enough. All of us have to unite. And who is better to take this fight against climate change? The youth. They have the time, they have the energy, they have the intelligence, they have the competence, the passion, and the enthusiasm. We have established the Hindu Kush Himalaya–Arctic Youth Forum with that hope and aspiration. They already have the capacity, but we are giving them the platform, and the voice,” said Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD Director General.
“We have always emphasised very strongly at the Arctic Circle to have young people involved, and I think one of the unique features of the Arctic Circle is the extraordinary number of young people who take part. Now we are expanding this to a new level – bringing young people together from the Arctic and the Hindu Kush Himalaya regions. I hope that will be the beginning of a very active cooperation between the younger generation of these two very important regions of our planet,” said Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Arctic Circle Chairman.
Through a one-year fellowship, 12 youth champions will build their knowledge, skills, and networks to lead from the frontline of the climate crisis, bringing local realities and experiences to global climate platforms.
As part of the one-year fellowship, they will:
represent their regions and ICIMOD in monthly virtual meetings, webinars, and workshops
lead and contribute to local, regional, and global joint campaigns, storytelling projects, and youth consultations focused on mountains, cryosphere, biodiversity, and climate issues
develop and share climate knowledge and advocacy materials with regional and global platforms
serve as a bridge between youth communities and decision-makers across both the HKH and Arctic regions
To learn more about the HKH-Arctic champions please see their profiles.
For more information, please visit the event page.
About International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region stretches 3,500km across Asia, spanning eight countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Encompassing high-altitude mountain ranges, mid-hills, and plains, the zone is vital for the food, water, and energy security of up to two billion people and is a habitat for countless irreplaceable species. It is also acutely fragile, and vulnerable to the impacts of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal, is an international organisation established in 1983, that is working to make this critical region greener, more inclusive and climate resilient. For more information, read our Strategy 2030 and
explore our website.
For media inquiries, please contact:
ICIMOD (Kathmandu)
Annie Dare, Head of Communications
Raz Tuladhar, Media Officer
Anshu Pandey, Senior Media Associate
Email: media@icimod.org
For Arctic Youth Leadership Forum inquiries, please contact:
Vanessa Villegas-Carriedo, Senior Communications Officer
Nusrat Hossain, Communications Officer
Email: media@icimod.org
