The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, home to the world’s largest ice reserves outside the polar areas, supports 1.9 billion people but is warming faster than average, risking major glacier loss, water stress, and extreme events. Economic losses from disasters in the HKH are significant, with recent floods and earthquakes causing extensive damage. The ADB's Building Adaptation and Resilience initiative, launched at COP 28, aims to enhance climate and disaster resilience in Bhutan and Nepal through improved risk assessment, early warning systems, and innovative risk management strategies. Future phases may expand support and establish an HKH Regional Climate Hub for broader regional impact. The project will focus on river basins in three main outputs: Output 1 involves detailed multi-hazard risk assessments in four basins, output 2 includes designing early warning systems (EWS) for three basins, and Output 3 covers risk advisory and climate investment services for two projects. Some preliminary work has been done to identify potential locations, but ADB will collaborate with the consulting firm to finalize them. The firm is expected to deliver an inception report within three months of contract signing, propose a detailed workplan, and provide semi-annual updates.

Description of actual services provided within the assignment:

• Analysis of the current situation and development of a plan to finalize project deliverables across all outputs.
• Technical approach paper for multi-hazard monitoring and early warning, including flood, GLOF, landslide, and earthquake (monitoring only).
• Report detailing the methodology and options for risk advisory, de-risking, and climate investment services, including the following sub-reports: Project pipeline development plan, Private sector approach paper, Disaster risk financing approach paper.
• A communication strategy/plan for the BARHKH TA liaising with other governments of HKH countries, international development agencies, regional technical agencies, private sector actors, academia, and other stakeholders.
• A capacity building strategy/plan that will include timeline/schedule for meetings, trainings, knowledge sharing events.
• Report that describes a methodology and options for risk advisory, de-risking, and climate investment services. Report should include the following sub-reports: Project pipeline development plan, Private sector approach paper, Disaster risk financing approach paper.
• Design of multi-hazard monitoring and early warning system covering flood, GLOF, landslide and earthquake (monitoring only) in three river basins.
• Comprehensive, multi-hazard disaster risk management plans based on the multi-hazard disaster risk assessments for 2 pilot projects.
• A comprehensive disaster and climate risk assessment methodology which includes recommendations to the governments on guidelines and standards for future assessments and field monitoring equipment.