GIREE Alliance Convenes Bangkok Summit to Advance Mountain Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Framework

The GIREE Alliance organized an in-person members’ meetup and Summit in Bangkok on 28–29 November, bringing together 20 members from five countries across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The event was convened by ICIMOD through its HI-REAP project supported by FCDO. The gathering marked a key step in strengthening collective understanding and alignment around the Mountain Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (MEE) Framework, a flagship initiative of the Alliance.

The Bangkok meetup focused on building a shared conceptual foundation for understanding entrepreneurship ecosystems in mountain contexts. Members explored Dr. Erik Stam’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework (EEF) and examined how it can be adapted by integrating mountain-specific conditions articulated by Dr. N.S. Jodha. While entrepreneurship ecosystem studies are well established globally, participants emphasized that no comprehensive and comparative assessment exists for mountain regions across the interconnected HKH countries. Addressing this gap is critical for designing effective support programs, mobilizing investment, and positioning mountain entrepreneurs as a strategic driver of resilience and green economic growth—central to GIREE’s mission.

The development of the MEE framework has been intentionally designed as a phased, inclusive, and participatory process. Given the diversity of social, economic, geographic, and institutional contexts across mountain regions, GIREE has adopted a co-creation approach that brings together policy actors, ecosystem builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Rather than a one-off consultation, the framework is being shaped through a progressive learning journey that builds shared understanding, aligns perspectives, and incrementally refines ideas through collective input.

The process is unfolding across three complementary stages. The first stage was a virtual orientation session held on 5 November 2025, which introduced GIREE members to core concepts of entrepreneurship ecosystems and their relevance to mountain economies. The session clarified the purpose and intended application of the MEE framework, highlighting its aim to move beyond generic models by incorporating mountain-specific constraints, opportunities, and pathways for inclusive and green entrepreneurship. Insights generated during these sessions will directly inform the refinement of the MEE framework and contribute to regional and country-level analytical reports scheduled for completion by mid-2026.

Beyond its technical focus, the Summit represented an important institutional milestone for the GIREE Alliance. A major outcome of the Summit was the formation and consolidation of four thematic working groups. These groups are intended to translate GIREE’s shared vision into concrete, time-bound actions, while ensuring that strategic thinking, resource mobilization, program delivery, and community engagement advance in parallel. Participation in the working groups remains voluntary, reinforcing GIREE’s ethos of bottom-up governance and collaborative leadership.

Through facilitated discussions, breakout sessions, and collective prioritization exercises, members identified priority areas where coordinated action could generate the greatest value for mountain entrepreneurship ecosystems. Participants self-organized into working groups based on interest, expertise, and institutional mandate, with each group agreeing on a one-year action plan with defined objectives and indicative deliverables.

The Bangkok event marked the first GIREE Summit since the strategic writeshop hosted at ICIMOD last year, which formally initiated the institutionalization of the Alliance through shared commitments from member organizations across the HKH. Building on this foundation, the Summit reaffirmed GIREE’s common identity and collective ambition to advance a Green, Inclusive, and Resilient Entrepreneurship Ecosystem across mountain regions through collaboration, shared learning, and joint action.