About us
During the two years, 2017-2018, a Membership Review Task Force, comprised of three Steering Group Members – Prof. Ashok Gurung (India China Institute, The New School, New York), Prof Dr. XU Jun (Sichuan University, China), and Dr. Chi Huyen Truong (Programme Coordinator, ICIMOD; HUC Secretariat Lead) – reviewed HUC membership policies, conducted a visit to the International Secretariat of the UArctic in Rovaniemi (Finland), and made recommendations to the Steering Group. With the coordination of Dr. Bahadar Nawab Khattak (COMSAT Abbottabad, Steering Group Member – Pakistan), a draft of the Bylaws incorporated the recommendations of the Membership Review Task Force and inputs from HUC members in a series of consultative meetings in New Delhi, Islamabad, Thimphu, Canberra, Naypyitaw, and Pokhara in 2017-2018. The draft Bylaws were discussed and finalised at the General Assembly Annual Meeting in Kathmandu, October 2018.
During the first phase of HUC’s transition to autonomy (Jan-Jun 2025), a Governance Task Team, comprised of nine members who were scientists and scholars from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region and outside the HKH, under the co-chairmanship of two Steering Committee Members, Professor Dr. LIU Peng (Yunnan University, China) and Dasho Nidup Dorji (former Vice Chancellor, Royal University of Bhutan), drafted an Amendment to the Bylaws, with learnings from key governance documents of like-minded academic networks and consortia such as the University of Arctic (UArctic) and the Asia Pacific Association of Agriculture Research Institutions (APAARI).
On 17 March 2025, a month prior to the intended date of the General Assembly Meeting (16-18 April, 2025), the draft Bylaws Amendment was circulated to Heads of Institutions and Focal Persons of institutional members with valid membership to solicit their comments and input. The Secretariat incorporated members’ comments and input in the final version that was put forward for endorsement by the General Assembly through Emergency Voting during the last two weeks of April 2025. A detailed comparison of differences between Bylaws 2018 and Bylaws Amendment 2025 was provided for voters to make an informed decision. With 35/36 affirmative votes, the Amendment to the HUC Bylaws 2025 was endorsed by GA and came into force on 1 May 2025.
The Bylaws Amendment 2025 prescribes eligibility criteria for HUC membership and membership term and obligations. It details the responsibilities of the Executive Committee (EC) and Executive Secretary, defines the quorum of the General Assembly meetings, EC Committee meetings, and annual voting, and sets rules and regulations for the operation of the Consortium. The refined Bylaws Amendment 2025 lays institutional foundation for the HUC to strengthen its governance and achieve readiness to become an autonomous and self-reliant academic network that continues to make valuable contributions to climate governance and action in the HKH.
