Kathmandu hosts the headquarters of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, commonly called ICIMOD.
ICIMOD is an intergovernmental knowledge and development organization focused on the Hindu Kush Himalaya, a mountain region extending across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Its work covers issues including climate change, glaciers, biodiversity, water resources and sustainable livelihoods.
The organization was established in 1983, with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and several countries. Its headquarters are located in Khumaltar, Lalitpur, in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. Although Lalitpur is a separate city, Kathmandu is the commonly recognized metropolitan reference for the headquarters location.
A common mix-up is to identify Thimphu or Islamabad as ICIMOD’s base because Bhutan and Pakistan are both part of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. ICIMOD works with institutions throughout the region, but its central secretariat is in Nepal. The organization also maintains regional and country offices outside Kathmandu.