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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for HUC-HKH
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TZID:Asia/Kathmandu
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DTSTART:20230101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241024
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241031
DTSTAMP:20260415T164100
CREATED:20250123T081603Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250123T081603Z
UID:4706-1729728000-1730332799@huc-hkh.org
SUMMARY:Inception Meeting of Thematic Working Group on Sustainable Mountain Settlement
DESCRIPTION:About the event\nAn inception meeting of a new Thematic Working Group on Sustainable Mountain Settlement of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) is being organized in Yunan\, China aligning closely with the ICIMOD’s intervention on Sustainable Mountain Settlement. The event will gather altogether 20 academia and researchers in the fields of spatial planning\, architecture\, landscaping\, ecotourism and natural resource management from Afghanistan\, Bangladesh\, Bhutan\, India\, Myanmar\, Nepal\, and Pakistan in a three-day field-based learning and sharing with the Chinese experts. The participants will visit a range of settlements of different altitudes\, population sizes and geological and socio-cultural characteristics in Yunnan (China) to learn of the best practices for a sustainable mountain settlement. The deliberation during the excursion will serve as a foundation to co-develop a context specific work plan for the next two years in the selected countries that contributes to develop sustainable and resilient mountain settlements. \nObjectives\n\nMutual Knowledge Sharing and Experience Exchange: The event aims to create a two-way exchange of knowledge\, and experiences related to sustainable mountain settlements. Participants from both Yunnan\, China\, and the Hindu Kush Himalayan countries will share best practices\, lessons learned\, and innovative approaches. This collaboration will enrich the collective understanding of sustainable settlement strategies across diverse geographical and socio-cultural contexts.\nBenchmarking for Future Field-Based Learning Programs: The event will establish benchmarks for best practices that will guide future Field-Based Learning programs aimed at government officials and practitioners. These benchmarks will help ensure that sustainable mountain settlement practices are both context-specific and adaptable across regions\, laying the groundwork for practical applications in different countries.\nPlatform for Identifying Needs and Developing a Collaborative Work Plan: The event will provide an inclusive platform where stakeholders from all participating countries can identify gaps in knowledge\, skills\, and practices in sustainable mountain settlement. Through this collaborative process\, participants will discuss the potential formation of a Thematic Working Group (TWG). If established\, the TWG will develop a work plan for 2025-2026\, aligning closely with ICIMOD’s Mid Term Action Plan V (MTAPV) result framework and addressing the specific needs of sustainable mountain settlements in the region.\n\nExpected outcome\n\nCo-developed Inter-regional Collaboration Proposal with joint workplan (2025-2026) and clear collaboration opportunities among academic institutions\, experts\, and practitioners aimed at sustainable mountain settlement development outcomes closely aligning to ICIMOD’s MTAPV result framework. This can be achieved through functional TWG and cross-border collaborative projects or regional initiatives too.\n\nExpected participants\nFifteen participants from Afghanistan\, Bangladesh\, Bhutan\, India\, Myanmar\, Nepal\, and Pakistan are nominated from HUC university members. ICIMOD’s Intervention on Sustainable Mountain Settlement under the Strategic Group 2 “Resilient Mountain Economies and Landscapes” and HUC team will provide regional facilitation and a team of experts from the Yunnan University will provide country-based support. \nBackground\nGlobally\, urban populations grew by more than 397 million people between 2015 and 2020\, with more than 90% of this growth taking place in less developed regions (IPCCC AR6 report). In Hindu Kush Himalaya\, the rate of built-up area expansion is 1.7 times higher than the population growth rate between 2000 and 2020 (ICIMOD\, unpublished). Rapid urbanization\, along with increasing population\, demands systemic transitions to climate-resilient sustainable development. However\, current resources are substantially insufficient to support the timely action needed. Mountain settlements\, characterised by unique geographies and environments are particularly vulnerable\, facing the severe impacts from climate change and other socioeconomic and environmental changes. These settlements vary greatly in cultural heritage\, size and population\, ranging from small villages or hamlets to large towns and cities. \nUnplanned urbanization in mountain settlements have led to loss of vernacular architecture and traditional skill set\, increased waste and pollution\, overextraction of resources\, and heightened pressure on biodiversity\, water\, energy supplies\, as well as access to critical services and sanitation systems. Additionally\, the exposure to climatic hazards and disaster incidents are increasing due to unplanned urbanization and socioeconomic development trends\, such as rural-urban migration and growing inequality\, leaving mountain communities and settlements continually vulnerable and at risks. \nNevertheless\, mountain urban spaces are critical to meet the development aspirations\, while also presenting opportunities for achieving deep emissions reductions and advancing climate resilient development when well planned and executed. Several adaptation and mitigation strategies could be considered in settlement development\, focusing on climate change impacts and risks (e.g.\, integrating climate services in settlement design and planning)\, compact urban forms\, co-location of jobs and housing\, public transport\, active mobility (e.g.\, walking and cycling)\, and the efficient design\, construction\, retrofit\, and use of buildings. Other strategies include reducing and changing energy and material consumption; material substitution; and electrification in combination with low emissions sources (IPCCC\, AR6 report). Green/natural and blue and grey infrastructure\, either independently or combined\, can supports carbon uptake and storage\, reduce risks from extreme events such as heatwaves\, flooding\, heavy precipitation and droughts\, and generate co-benefits for health\, well-being and livelihoods. \nThe Thematic Working Group on Sustainable Mountain Settlements will develop a joint work plan (2025–2026)\, aligned with ICIMOD’s AA-C3 intervention\, focusing on the integration of climate-resilient planning in mountain settlement development. The group aims to understand the complex interactions between built up environments\, human system\, and climate impacts in the HKH region. A key emphasis will be on the rural-urban connection and planned urbanization in peri-urban and rural mountain settlements to support sustainable and resilient infrastructure (particularly buildings) development. Additionally\, the group will work towards identifying collaboration opportunities through the Interregional Collaboration Proposal\, bringing together academic institutions\, experts\, and practitioners to enhance knowledge exchange that enables cross-border collaborative projects and regional initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable outcomes without compromising development aspirations of the mountain people. \nAGENDA
URL:https://huc-hkh.org/event/inception-meeting-of-thematic-working-group-on-sustainable-mountain-settlement/
LOCATION:Yunnan\, China\, China
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