Sustainable Summits 2021 Nepal

SS21 was scheduled to be held from 31 May – 4 June 2021. Due to COVID 19, however, it is now impossible to hold the SS21 conference as originally intended. Therefore, ICIMOD – in collaboration with the Climate Alliance of Himalayan Communities (CAHC); the SS21 organizing committee; and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) – is planning to produce a series of films covering the same themes, to achieve the same objectives, and to promote the Sustainable Summits message in the region and internationally with a focus on providing an HKH message for COP 26.

SS 21 FILM - Background

Sustainable Summits is an international conference series for sharing solutions on protecting and preserving the world’s mountain regions. The Sustainable Summits conferences are inspired by the growing pressures on our mountain environments, the need to find solutions to the impacts of such pressures, and a drive to uphold the values sustaining these environments. Sustainable Summits 2021 (SS21) was planned to be held in Nepal to showcase the country’s mountain environment, bring international attention to the climate change impacts in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), and to highlight the role of mountains in the lead up to COP 26 in Glasgow in November 2021. SS21 aims to:

Honour mountain voices and promote understanding of the Himalaya as an “abode of the gods”
Provide a platform for issues from the HKH region to be consolidated and influence local, national, and international policies – particularly COP 26
Strengthen tourism in the HKH region
Learn and share best practices on the themes of the conference (see below)
Explore opportunities for national and regional cooperation
Strengthen national, regional, and global networks to share and adopt mountain solutions

Due to COVID 19, however, it is now impossible to hold the SS21 conference as originally intended. Therefore, ICIMOD – in collaboration with the Climate Alliance of Himalayan Communities (CAHC); the SS21 organizing committee; and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) – is planning to produce a series of films covering the same themes, to achieve the same objectives, and to promote the Sustainable Summits message in the region and internationally with a focus on providing an HKH message for COP 26.

Balancing development pressures (focus on climate change)
Mountains nurturing communities (focus on livelihoods including mountain tourism)
Mountains and regional cooperation (big-picture solutions that work)
Messages for COP 26 (clear messages of what we need for sustainable mountains)

The video should be developed considering the following target audiences:

Regional and global public – to generate broad support for mountain action
Nepali public – to support Nepal’s call for action and reliance on mountains and tourism
Adventure tourism operators and mountain visitors worldwide, including trekkers and mountaineers
HKH member country decision makers – to promote the HKH Call to Action
COP 26 policy makers – to influence negotiations

Timeline for deliverables

No.	Deliverables	Completion date
1	Review all collected material (available film footage, recordings, presentations); develop and agree storyboard with the SS21 organizing committee, ICIMOD, and FCDO	15 July 2021
2	One-hour documentary suitable for international and COP 26 distribution, divided into four 15-minute programmes	20 August 2021
3	Four podcasts linked to the 15-minute episodes	30 August 2021
4	Supporting promotional material including trailers and sound bites suitable for promotions, twitter, social media, sponsors, SS21 websites, etc.	15 September 2021