From a young age, Izabella Koziell was deeply drawn to nature and driven by a desire to conserve it. Her passion led her into this field, ultimately making her the first female Deputy Director General of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
ICIMOD is actively engaged in its countries and region, but also at global climate and biodiversity conferences like COP29 and COP16 where it helps amplify the concerns of the Himalayan region, which faces some of the most severe impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to it. Their focus is on advocating for stronger commitments to increasing adaption finance into the region as well as curbing emissions and highlighting the urgent need for regional cooperation to address melting glaciers, glacial lake outbursts, and the cascading impacts of climate change on vulnerable mountain communities. Through regioanl cooperation and global conferences, they aim to influence policy and mobilise resources for sustainable solutions that benefit both the region and the planet. Excerpts from the interview:
You are the first woman in ICIMOD’s history to hold the position of Deputy Director General. According to you, how important it is to have a woman leading in decision-making positions?
It’s extremely important to have a balance between men and women in leadership positions, and ICIMOD is now taking that forward. I am the first female Deputy Director General. We also have a female chair of our advisory committee to the board and two out of four senior managers are women. We need women in equal measure at all levels, not only in leadership. I think the evidence now is really strong that women can help enhance productivity and collaboration, and are good at triggering new insights and innovations whilst also bringing in fairness and equity.
What drew you to nature and environment conservation?
I grew up in London, a bustling city, but we were fortunate to have one of the last remaining large gardens. My mother, a keen gardener, grew all our vegetables, and we often helped her. This connection to working with the soil – planting tomatoes and more – was unique in London at the time where such practices were rare. Gradually, I developed a preference for being in the countryside over the city. This led me to choose geography as one of my A-levels, and eventually, as my degree. It offered me the chance to explore nature and environmental issues deeply.
When I began my career, environmental issues were often sidelined. While they have always been a concern, they weren’t a priority in discussions at the time. But that has nowchanged substantially!
With my parents not being originally from England, I was exposed to a global perspective from an early age, which fueled my interest in international environmental work. The more I travelled, the more I witnessed the ongoing environmental crises around the world. Even in Kathmandu Valley, small farms were common but lifestyle changes and other development pressures have made green space so rare. A similar shift is evident in the UK where many children today don’t even know how carrots grow as they only see them in supermarkets.
Why is it important to take notice and make a change towards global warming?
Addressing global warming is crucial especially for a country like Nepal which has contributed the least to it yet faces some of its most severe impacts. Changing weather patterns pose increasingly significant threats as seen with the recent flooding in Kathmandu and its surroundings. Increasing glacial melt causes lake outbursts and their devastating floods, as we saw in the Sikkim disaster lastyer, and these kinds of events are becoming more frequent and intense. Rapid urbanisation in places like Kathmandu further multiplies these risks making the situation increasingly precarious. It’s important that high-income countries take leadership in immediate and decisive action to curb emissions and support countries, like those of the Hindu Kush Himalaya to cope with these disasters. This is one of the most pressuring challenges for our future. However, achieving this is immensely difficult as our economies and systems are deeply reliant on high-emission practices.
Tell us about the ‘Moving Mountain’ strategy of the organisation.
I joined ICIMOD in 2021, alongside the current Director General. Together, we were given a strong mandate to develop the ‘Moving Mountains’ strategy for 2030 transitioning ICIMOD into a future-focused organisation to address the growing climate and environmental challenges.
We adopted a highly participatory approach to create a new vision for the organisation, aiming for a greener more inclusive and climate-resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya.
As a knowledge organisation, ICIMOD generates valuable insights from its data, as well as decision making tools and a wide array of information, and publications, but our core mission is to ensure this knowledge influences policies, decisions and investments in the region. Our focus is on finding innovative solutions for the mountain communities whether for herders, farmers or settlements. We also prioritize improving regional cooperation as many challenges are transnational and affect multiple countries. ICIMOD’s headquarters is in Nepal but we work across the eight countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Who could be the best advocate of climate change? Do you think the younger generation is taking the climate change seriously?
I believe it’s my generation and those before me who have created the challenges we face today. It’s our responsibility to find solutions and not leave it solely to the younger generations.
This is especially important because many of us are now in decision-making positions where we can make a real impact. We must act now to create change for the younger generation as they will bear the brunt of climate change’s effects.
While the younger generation is highly aware, they need our support. There is still time to address these issues and shape solutions for the future. Young people bring energy, enthusiasm, and a fresh perspective, often challenging us to innovate and do better. With our support they also need to lead the way in building and implementing solutions. By doing so, they can help shape a different world and economy, one far removed from the systems we have grown up with.
October and November are the key months for climate events like COP 29 and COP 16. What is ICIMOD doing to take its message to these global climate conferences?
The annual climate conferences, typically held in November or December, are crucial platforms for ICIMOD to promote the concerns of the Hindu Kush Himalayas. This year, ICIMOD will participate in two significant events: COP16 in Cali, Colombia and COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
At COP16, which focuses on biodiversity, ICIMOD highlighted the unique mountain biodiversity of the Himalayan region shaped by the extreme altitudinal range from 500 to 4,000 meters. This included promoting the conservation of medicinal plants, wildlife and ecosystems. With financial decisions also being made at such conferences, ICIMOD’s presence ensures that resources are directed towards protecting and conserving this vital biodiversity.
At COP29, ICIMOD advocated for stronger global action on climate change, particularly regarding its impact on the region’s ice and water resources. While much attention is given to the Arctic and Antarctic, the vast expanse of ice in the Hindu Kush Himalayas is often overlooked despite being the third largest in the world, and the waters of which are critical to the livelihoods of two billion people. ICIMOD presented evidence of how global warming is affecting the mountains and emphasised the urgent need for adaptation and mitigation measures now. The message is clear: the Himalayan region is vital not just locally but globally as its water and ecosystems influence billions of lives and the planet’s climate systems.
We learnt that you are often cycling and hiking; can you share with our readers a few of your favourite hiking and cycling routes?
I live near the Godavari forest, so I spend most weekends exploring it, except during monsoon season when leeches are abundant. One of my favourite routes is walking up to Chapakharka. There are many other beautiful trails from Godavari including the famous Phulchowki. The roads to Chapakharka and Phulchowki are great for cycling. You can cycle up to Chapakharka and descend behind Phulchowki continuing down to Panauti. I have also trekked to Everest Base Camp a splendid experience with its stunning views of multiple 8,000-meter peaks. I have visited Langtang Valley, as well as walked part of the Panch Pokhari route, and done extensive cycling in Sri Lanka. Early in my career, I lived in Tanzania and Kenya, East Africa, where I explored numerous national parks and climbed Kilimanjaro.
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