Himalayan University Consortium Nepal Country Chapter meeting
2021-12-22 - 2021-12-23 | Dhulikhel, Nepal, Nepal
About the meeting
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) is a growing network of universities within and outside of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, aiming to promote regional and global collaboration in research and education for sustainable mountain futures. In Nepal, two new members – Nepal Open University and Far Western University – have recently joined the Consortium, bringing the total number of university members to six (out of 12 universities in the country). An increasing number of Nepali researchers have taken part in HUC’s capacity building programmes in the past two years. Some Nepali scholars have co-led various thematic working groups and cross-cutting workgroups.
HUC’s previous country chapter meeting took place on 11-12 August 2018 in Pokhara, generously hosted by Pokhara University. This country chapter meeting on 23 December 2021, will be hosted by Kathmandu University at its Dhulikhel campus, and will bring together Vice Chancellors (VCs), Deans and focal persons to review recent activities of the Consortium in the region and in Nepal and deliberate on the future and sustainability of the network.
This meeting is convened by Prof. Bim Prasad Shrestha, HUC Steering Committee Member, Kathmandu University, and coordinated by the HUC Secretariat, ICIMOD.
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Objectives

Review current activities by HUC members, Thematic Working Groups and fellows in Nepal
Discuss potential collaboration and synergy amongst HUC members in Nepal and between Nepal’s members and other Consortium’s members
Engage University Grants Commissions Nepal in pursuit of mountain-focused, HKH-specific higher education agenda of the Consortium
Handover of the Steering Committee membership by the current Steering Committee member, Prof. Bim Prasad Shrestha, to the incoming SCM, Prof. Tri Ratna Bajracharya, Tribhuvan University

Expected participants

VCs of HUC members and incoming members
Two representatives from each of HUC members
Representatives of HUC Thematic Working Groups and fellows
Invited guests from the University Grants Commissions and UNESCO Nepal

Agenda

Time (NPT)
Programme
Facilitators/ Resource persons

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

14:00
Check-in at Himalaya Drishya Resort, Dhulikhel
Achala Sharma, Programme Associate, HUC, ICIMOD

17:30
Registration
Achala Sharma

18:00–20:00
Orientation and reception dinner
Welcome remarks by Bim Prasad Shrestha,
Kathmandu University, HUC Steering Committee Member
Introduction and expectations of participants
HUC in Nepal through fellows’ perspectives

Biraj Singh Thapa, Kathmandu University, Co-lead, HUC Thematic Working Group on Energy
Rashila Deshar, Tribhuvan University, Fellow and Grantee

One participant from the workshop on Communicating science for policy making

Thursday, 23 December 2021

9:00
Transfer from hotel to Kathmandu University Dhulikhel campus
Achala Sharma, ICIMOD

9:30–9:40
Opening remarks – Bhola Thapa, Vice Chancellor, Kathmandu University
Uddhab Pyakurel, Associate Director, Global Engagement Division, Kathmandu University

9:40–10:00
The role of University Grants Commission in nurturing excellence in higher education for Nepal – Bhim Prasad Subedi, Chairperson, UGC Nepal (TBC)
UNESCO initiatives for SDG 4.7 – Balaram Timalsina, Chief of Education, UNESCO Nepal

Group photo

10:00 – 11:30
World Cafe: Exploring potential for collaborations amongst HUC members in Nepal
Participants will rotate across four stations sharing information about their university, focusing on thematic areas of research and training, resources, partnership, and potential synergy.
Coffee and refreshments will be served during the World Cafe
Singh Thapa, Kathmandu University;
Amina Maharjan, Senior Specialist Livelihoods & Migration, Livelihoods, ICIMOD;
Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Specialist, Geospatial Solutions, ICIMOD;
Santosh Raj Pathak Partnership Officer, Strategic Cooperation, ICIMOD;
Sunita Chaudhary, Ecosystem Services Specialist, Ecosystem Services, ICIMOD

11:30–12:00
Summary of World Cafe
5 minutes for each station and 10 minutes for Q&A

12:00–13:00
Lunch break

13:00–14:30
Parallel workgroup
Group 1 – HUC Visioning Exercise
Vice Chancellors, Steering Committee Members and invited guests from UGC and UNESCO Nepal review half-way implementation of the HUC Strategy 2018-2025 and discuss medium future of the Consortium, including sustainability pathway.
Bim P Shrestha, Kathmandu University;
Tri Ratna Bajracharya, Professor, Tribhuvan University;
Madan Koirala, Professor, Tribhuvan University, and
Santosh R Pathak

Group 2 – Member consultation regarding higher education and graduate competency for sustainable mountain futures
Focal persons and fellows to share information about their university and knowledge and experience on current and future curricula
Ganga Gautam, Director, Open and Distance Education Center (ODEC), Tribhuvan University;
Amina Maharjan; Rajesh B Thapa; Sunita Chaudhary; Shachi Truong

14:30–15:00
Presentation of groupwork and discussion
Summary of key action points
Bim P Shrestha and Tri Ratna Bajracharya

15:00–15:30
Tea/coffee break

15:30–16:30
Global aspirations, leadership transition, and closing
Rethinking Global in Higher Education in Nepal – Ashok Gurung, Professor, Julien J. Studley Graduate Program of International Affairs at the New School, New York, and HUC Steering Committee Member
Revisit participants’ expectation of the meeting
Handover of Steering Committee membership
Closing remarks – Tri Ratna Bajracharya
Votes of thanks – Chi H Truong
Uddhab Pyakurel

Cryosphere hazards and society in Bhutan and Pakistan AND HUC’s TWG on Cryosphere and Society
2022-03-28 - 2022-03-29 | LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan, Pakistan
About the workshop and meeting
The workshop will review the work of stakeholders in the field of cryosphere science in Bhutan and Pakistan, particularly members of HUC. During this workshop, the HUC Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Cryosphere and Society will present their work, including an introduction to modelling and field methods and the potential for upscaling. The TWG will also share ongoing work in Bhutan and the Upper Indus basin on climate change impacts on livelihoods, ecosystems, hydrosphere, and cryosphere.
The first half of the workshop will focus on the ongoing project led by the University of Bristol. Our partners will then present their work, which will provide an overview of the ongoing challenges related to cryosphere hazards and society in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.
The first meeting of the core group of HUC’s TWG on Cryosphere and Society took place in March 2021. This follow-up meeting will update members of the progress and consolidate the Group’s governance structure and draft a concrete workplan for 2022.
The two events pay close attention to the diversity of stakeholders and unites academics and practitioners from across the region.

Expected outputs
In addition to a consolidated governance structure for HUC’s TWG on Cryosphere and Society, this workshop will contribute to the following three outputs:

A mapped potential partner landscape in cryosphere hazards and society for the UIB. This will be useful for ICIMOD and partners to navigate the field. HUC has already fostered several exchanges between partners in Pakistan, which has prepared the ground for future collaborations and strengthened our role as a knowledge broker.
A brief outline of the knowledge gaps and needs in the field of cryosphere, hazards, and society in the HKH and a draft roadmap for future research and action.
A tailored infrastructure risk assessment tool and its application in the region, which will be presented and discussed during the workshop.

Expected participants
In-person participants include social scientists from HUC and ICIMOD strategic knowledge partners in Pakistan: Karakoram International University (KIU); University of Punjab; LUMS, Lahore; Information Technology University, Lahore; University of Peshawar; University of Baltistan; COMSATS University Islamabad/Abbottabad; and Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s (AKAH).
Virtual participants include members of HUC’s TWG on Cryosphere and Society in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, and HUC Associate Members in Europe, North America, and Central Asia. Selected representatives from fellow TWGs and cross-cutting workgroups will be attending as observers.

Background
The Upper Indus Basin is one of the most vulnerable basins when it comes to water and ice as a resource. It has been impacted by an exceptionally high number of hydrosphere-related disasters, including glacial lake outburst floods, debris flows, landslides, fluvial and pluvial floods, as well as rapid erosion and sedimentation. While a number of studies on hazards have looked into the physical processes associated with these disasters, investigations including impact assessments on both livelihoods and ecosystems, especially with the inclusion of local experiences and knowledge, are largely lacking. Under a completely different climate regime, Bhutan faces similar challenges in remoter headwaters. Multiple studies have documented devastating events and their impacts in the region; however, transdisciplinary approaches to address these are lacking.

Agenda
Arrival and orientation – Sunday, 27 March 2022

Time
Programme

17:00 – 17:30
Registration

18:00 – 20:00
Introduction and orientation
Reception dinner
Networking

Day 1 – Monday, 28 March 2022

Time
Programme
Speakers

12:30-13:30
Lunch

13:30–14:00
Welcome remarks
Opening remarks
Introduction to the program
Abubakr Muhammad, LUMS
Tahira Yasmin, PIASA
Amina Maharjan, ICIMOD

14:00–14:15
Presentation of the Cryosphere and Society TWG Project
Guy Howard, University of Bristol

14:15–14:45
Introduction to the social science methods (quantitative and qualitative) in exploring and understanding of cryosphere hazards
Rehmat Karim, KIU
Adian Flint, University of Bristol

14:45–15:15
Introduction to data collection from the physical side and presentation of preliminary findings
Garee Khan, KIU
Jeremy Phillips, University of Bristol

15:15–15:45
Presentation of the study in Bhutan
(Refreshments)
Deki Choden, Royal University of Bhutan
Chogyel Wangmo, Royal University of Bhutan

15:45–16:15
Presentation on previous cryo-hazard work in UIB – new developments, processes, and methods
Jakob Friedrich Steiner, ICIMOD

16:15–17:00
Discussion of synergies

17:00–17:20
HKH – Arctic connection: Experiences from linking research to indigenous knowledge
Jennifer Lukovich, University of Manitoba

Day 2 – Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Time
Programme
Speakers

10:00–10:20
Glacier-fed irrigation system vulnerabilities in UIB
Bashir Ahmad, PARC

10:20–10:40
Environmental and ecological implications of cryosphere changes and rapid development on species/habitats in HKH region in Pakistan
Zulfiqar Ali, Punjab University

10:40–11:00
The Cryosphere – Water Nexus in the Pamir
Roy Sidle, Mountain Societies Research Institute, University of Central Asia

11:00–11:20
Talk by AKAH
Refreshments
TBD, AKAH

11:20–11:40
TBD
Salar Ali, University of Baltistan

11:40–12:00
Snow research in the Upper Indus Basin
Jawairia Ashfaq Ahmad, LUMS

12:00–13:00
Review of tools to assess infrastructure risk to cryospheric hazards
Guy Howard, University of Bristol, and
Amina Maharjan, ICIMOD

13:00–14:00
Lunch break

14:00–15:00
Review of the LAHAR flow model
Jeremy Phillips, University of Bristol

15:00–16:00
Discussion around knowledge gaps and making science relevant for policy and practice
Amina Maharjan, ICIMOD

16:00-16:45
HUC’s TWGs and TWG on Cryosphere and Society
Chi Huyen Truong (Shachi), HUC-ICIMOD

16:45–17:00
Closing remarks
Vote of thanks
Philippus Wester, ICIMOD
Bhawana Syangden, ICIMOD

Climate risk and uncertainty in India
2022-05-12
About the webinar
Climate change is widely acknowledged as the single biggest threat to humanity. However, there is a large gap between the risks from climate change estimated by global models and how the risks are perceived by people at the local level, where climate change is one of the many factors involved in decision-making. My Climate Risk Hub for the Hindu Kush Himalaya under ICIMOD’s Himalayan University Consortium’s (HUC) is organizing a webinar to highlight this gap with a focus on the role of uncertainty across different spatio-temporal scales. The webinar is targeted at an interdisciplinary audience including scientists, social scientists, policymakers, and activists.
Speaker

Lyla Mehta
Professorial Fellow
Institute of Development Studies, UK
Lyla Mehta’s work focuses on climate change, uncertainty, and transformation. She uses the case of water and sanitation to focus on the politics of gender, scarcity, uncertainty, rights and access to resources, resource grabbing, and power and policy processes. Mehta leads the Belmont/Norface/EU/ISC project on ‘Transformations as praxis’ in South Asia and is also the co-editor of the journal Environment and Planning E. Her most recent books include Water for Food Security Nutrition and Social Justice and The Politics of Climate Change and Uncertainty in India.

Krishna Achutarao
Professor
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Krishna Achutarao’s research focuses on using climate models to understand how the earth’s climate is affected by natural and anthropogenic factors. His current interests include attribution of extreme weather events, changing risk of extreme events under a warming climate. and adaptation to climate change. He has been associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2001 and was a lead author in the recently released Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and the previous AR5 report.

Krishna Malakar
Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Krishna Malakar’s research focuses on understanding the human dimensions of environmental and climate change such that it can inform policy and action. She is particularly interested in assessing the risk, vulnerability, and adaptation of communities to climate change. Malakar has presented her work in numerous conferences and published extensively in reputed journals. She holds a Ph.D. from the Interdisciplinary Programme in Climate Studies, IIT Bombay.

Somnath Baidya Roy
Professor
Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Somnath Roy uses regional climate models to study the interactions between land use/land cover and climate. His current research projects look at the carbon cycle over croplands of India and the effects of climate/climate change on forest fires. Roy is also the Chief Editor of Earth Systems Dynamics, an interdisciplinary journal of the European Geosciences Union.
Tentative agenda
Thursday, 12 May 2022 | 16:00-18:00 (IST)

Time (IST)
Programme
Speakers

16:00–16:05
Introduction to My Climate Risk in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
Somnath Roy, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

16:05–16:50
Panelists’ intervention
(15 minutes each)
Lyla Mehta, Professorial Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, UK
Krishna Achutarao, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Krishna Malakar, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

16:50–17:05
Comments by the Chair
Somnath Baidya Roy, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

17:05–17:25
Roundtable

17:25–17:55
Q&A

17:55–18:00
Closing
Chi H Truong (Shachi), Programme Coordinator, Himalayan University Consortium, ICIMOD

The value of fermented ethnic foods and beverages
2022-06-04 - 2022-06-09 | Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal
About the lecture tour
Professor Jyoti Prakash Tamang, a world-renowned food scientist, and ICIMOD Mountain Chair (since 2019), is conducting a public lecture tour in Nepal from 4-9 June 2022. This lecture tour is focused on raising awareness, especially among the food and tourism sectors, on the importance of beneficial microorganisms in and the nutritional value of fermented ethnic foods and beverages. He will also be providing information about the various scholarships, fellowships, and grants provided by the Government of India for scientific collaboration with Nepal.
The lecture tour is hosted by Nepali Chaurasi Byanjan Pvt. Ltd., Nepal Food Scientists and Technologists Association, Kathmandu University, and ICIMOD.

Lecture tour dates

Date(NPT)
Location
Programme

5 June 2022
Jiri
Interact with homestay hosts and deliver a talk to the Ethnic Food Tourism ProgrammePresentation at the Food Technology College, Jiri

6 June 2022
Charikot
Interaction with local food producers

7 June 2022
Nepal Food Scientists and Technologists Association
Lecture on ‘Metataxonomic research in Himalayan fermented foods: New dimensions in research on disease and immunity boosters’, co-hosted by Kathmandu University

9 June 2022
All Nepal Chefs Conference, Kathmandu
Keynote address as chief guest

Teaching sustainability and localising the Sustainable Development Goals in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
2022-09-29 - 2022-12-23 | Online
About the training
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), in partnership with Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, is organising a training that will introduce the key concepts of sustainability, sustainability science, sustainable development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Participants will be able to explore the interdisciplinary methods of inquiry and the transformative and experiential learning approaches to teaching these concepts at the university level.
The training will be delivered online, through a combination of synchronous lectures and asynchronous individual or pair/group learning activities. The training will commence in late September 2022 and conclude by late December 2022.
The programme is equivalent to three credits or 48 lecture hours, structured into two intertwining tracks – subject matters of sustainability and adult learning methodology.

Learning outcomes

Understand the key concepts of sustainability and sustainable development and basic principles of sustainability science in the HKH context
Learn about SDGs and understand why they must be translated or ‘localised’ in the mountain context
Understand the basic principles of adult learning
Acquire preliminary skills to facilitate transformative and experiential learning in universities

Eligibility
The following criteria must be met by applicants:

Applicants must have at least three years of continuous teaching experience at a university or college in the HKH region
Applicants must be teaching at least one subject concerning an aspect of sustainability
Applicants must have a concrete plan to apply the knowledge and skills from this training in their upcoming teaching at the home institution

25 participants will be selected from the eight HKH countries and adjunct or compatible regions through a competitive process.
Lecturers from HUC member universities, women, and members of under-represented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Eligible past HUC fellows can redeem their merit points, earlier accumulated in the HUC Online Portal, on the evaluation scale.
Interested in applying? Please fill this form by 19 September 2022.

Fees
USD 200
20 top-selected candidates based in the HKH countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan – will be offered a fee waiver.

Faculty
A team of core faculty members consisting of experienced educators and scholars in relevant fields will lead the planning for and execution of the training programme. Renowned speakers of a wide range of expertise in the region and beyond will be invited to selected sessions.

Award
An e-certificate will be conferred to participants who successfully complete the training and its requirements.
Fellows will be able to claim merit points in the HUC Online Portal and have subsequent access to the learning materials of and join the HUC fellow network with its academic exchange benefits.
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For more information, please contact huc@icimod.org

Integrating gender and social inclusiveness in the curricula and governance of higher education institutions in Nepal
2022-11-13 - 2022-11-14 | Dhulikhel, Nepal, Nepal
About the workshop
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), Kathmandu Medical College (KMC), and KU School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) are organising a workshop focusing on raising awareness of gender inequality and other forms of social exclusion among senior university administrators and healthcare professionals in Nepal. Participants will discuss practical pathways to integrate gender and social inclusiveness in the curricula and governance in higher education institutions in Nepal.
During the break-out sessions, healthcare professionals will be introduced to the current situation of gender inequality and social exclusion in the healthcare sector and will be discussing influencing factors, barriers, and challenges. Senior university administrators will be updated with key findings of a regional study on the state of gender and social inclusiveness in curricula among HUC members in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.

Outcomes
Upon completion of this workshop, participants will:

Achieve an understanding of the key concepts of gender, social inclusiveness, and intersectionality
Acquire preliminary skills to conduct a gender analysis applicable to their workplace and their professional practice
Explore practical pathways to address gender inequalities in their workplace, teaching, and practice
Identify the major needs and the process of planning and implementation of gender and social inclusiveness in institutional policy

Participants
Mid/senior scholars and administrators from HUC members in Nepal and healthcare professionals in Kathmandu University teaching hospitals will be participating in the workshop.

Organisers
The workshop is jointly organised by the HUC and KUSMS as part of the NOHRED-II Projects – ‘HydroHimalaya’ and ‘Strengthening academic capacity in physiotherapy education in Nepal’. A team of gender experts from the two organising institutions will lead the programme. Guest speakers include senior governmental officials, university administrators, and representatives from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) who will share experiences and best practices from Nepal and beyond.

Training on glacier modelling: Practical applications with the Open Global Glacier Model
2023-03-10 - 2023-03-16 | LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan, Pakistan
About the training
University of Innsbruck, University of Bremen, and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) are co-organising a week-long training on glacier modelling and scientific programming using the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM). The training will focus on glaciers in High Mountain Asia and their roles in the hydrological system. The training has been organised by local and international experts in the fields of mountain glaciology and hydrology.
The Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM) is an open-source glacier modelling framework with the ability to simulate past and future mass balance, volume, and geometry of any glacier in the world. Applicable at the regional and global scales, it is used by several research groups around the world to better quantify and understand past and future glacier change. Its modular framework allows anyone to extend it with their own methods and ideas. By offering materials to teachers, its educational branch, OGGM-Edu, helps bring glacier science and glacier modelling closer to schools and universities.

Topics
The training will offer a balanced mix of lectures on the theory of glaciers and their modelling and practical sessions with the OGGM model. It will cover the following topics:

General introduction to glaciers
Climatic mass-balance: Processes and modelling

Practicals: Temperature index modelling with OGGM

Ice flow: Processes and modelling.

Practicals: Numerics of simple differential equations, flowline modelling with OGGM

Glacier system modelling: Glacier-climate interactions, coupling, uncertainties

Practicals: real glacier experiments with OGGM.

Regional hydrology with a focus on the Upper Indus Basin
Glaciers in the hydrosphere: Glacier runoff

Practicals: peak-water and runoff partitioning with OGGM

Scientific programming with the Python programming language and practising open-source software development on github
Excursion: Visit the LUMS campus and research facilities, outdoor field visit to relevant sites

Resource persons
Fabien Maussion (University of Innsbruck); Fahad Saeed (Climate Analytics Islamabad); Muhammad Abubakr (LUMS); Jakob Steiner and Anouk Vlug (University of Bremen); Jawairia Ashfaq (LUMS); Patrick Schmitt (University of Innsbruck); Muhammad Adnan Siddique (ITU Punjab); and Muhammad Shafeeque (University of Bremen)

Application procedure
Interested applicants should have (or be close to obtaining) a master’s degree in earth science, physics, mathematics, or equivalent. Previous knowledge of glaciers or programming is an advantage but is not required. However, we encourage you to have a basic knowledge of python programming before the training, if possible. Female researchers and practitioners and members of underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
This call is for Pakistan-based applicants only.

Important dates
Application deadline: 07 February 2023
Announcement of selected participants: 22 February 2023

Workshop schedule

10 March 2023
Arrival of participants

11–15 March 2023
Classes, including a half day field visit excursion

16 March 2023
Departure

Costs
The programme is free of charge. For selected participants from organisations in Pakistan, the costs for domestic travel and lodging will be covered. Selected participants from international organisations based in Pakistan will need to request resources from their organisations.

Accommodation
LUMS guest houses on campus

Himalayan University Consortium Steering Committee meeting 2023
2023-04-26 | Lanzhou, China, China
Background
The Steering Committee is the Himalayan University Consortium’s (HUC) highest governing body. The committee’s meetings set the course of action for the consortium for the calendar year and track the progress of the implementation of HUC Strategy 2018–2025.
The 2023 meeting is critical for the committee to receive updates on ICIMOD’s Medium-Term Action Plan V (2023–2026) and the independent review commissioned by ICIMOD of its networks, including HUC. Apart from members’ business agenda items, the HUC Steering Committee will deliberate possible pathways for the sustainability of the consortium from 2025 onwards. This meeting will amplify across the HUC community the consortium’s vibrance and increased ownership.
The committee met in New Delhi in 2016, Canberra in 2017, and New York City in 2018. Following the key principle of HUC operation, all of the consortium’s activities will only take place on a resource-sharing basis. Lanzhou University has offered to host this Steering Committee meeting in April 2023, in conjunction with the International Forum of the Belt and Road University Alliance.

Objectives

HUC Steering Committee members will provide updates on the state of higher education for sustainability and the HUC Country Chapter formation process in their home country and post-COVID 19 challenges and opportunities for education for sustainable development
The HUC Secretariat will provide updates on the consortium’s collaborative capacity building, research, and publication
ICIMOD will provide updates on its Medium-Term Action Plan V (2023–2026) and the independent review it has commissioned of its networks
The Steering Committee will discuss major directions for the remaining two years of the HUC Strategy 2018–2025 and the pathway towards HUC’s sustainability from 2025 onwards

Proposed agenda
All timings are in China Standard Time (CST).
Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Chair: Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD
Rapporteur: Achala Sharma, Programme Associate, ICIMOD

Masterclass on food security assessment
2023-05-03 - 2023-06-16 | Online and in-person
About the masterclass
HUC is organising a masterclass on Food Security Assessment (FSA) with experts from the HKH region. This masterclass will introduce early career researchers and development workers from Bhutan, Nepal, and Northeast India to the concept and types of FSAs, equip them to develop and implement purposeful assessments, and communicate this effectively to various stakeholders. The training will take place online with field exposure. As part of this masterclass, participants will develop and conduct an assessment survey in their own locality/ community under the guidance of the masterclass trainers.

Objectives
The masterclass caters to early researchers, grassroots level workers (or developmental organisations), early or mid-career government officials from related departments. It is designed to:

Introduce the concepts and types of FSAs
Provide practical skills and knowledge to design and implement effective food security assessments in different contexts and settings
Build capacity on FSA data analysis and interpretation and effectively communicate the findings to various stakeholders, including policy makers and communities

Background
Communities across the world have been dependent on millets as a source of nutrition and sustenance for generations. Despite its potential to address food and nutritional security, the growth and consumption of millets have been declining. Of late, the value of millet has been recognised as critical in addressing food security, especially under current climate change scenarios. The UN FAO has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets and various initiatives have been made by the national governments to promote this essential crop. For designing initiatives and formulating millet-related policies for long-term and meaningful impacts on the status of food security, it is important to understand the status of food security in any region, identify critical influencing factors, and understand how millets can supplement ongoing efforts in combating the issue of global food insecurity. In the HKH region, millet production although diminishing, has been an integral part of subsistence agriculture, ethnic culture, and livelihood.

Agenda
Session I (online)
Date: 3 May 2023
Duration: 1.5 hours
Session details: Introduction to FSA: FSA types, contextualising FSA, methodology for FSA
Home assignment for participants: Participants will reflect upon the learning from the session and identify the context and type of FSA to be conducted in their locality.

Session II (online) followed by fieldwork in the participants’ respective local areas
Date: 9 May 2023
Duration: 1.5 hours
Session details: Participants will make 5-minute presentations of the context and type of FSA they would like to conduct. This will be followed by an interactive session on designing of context-specific FSA tool.
Home assignment for participants: Participants will finalize the FSA tool in consultation with the trainer and conduct the FSA in their own locality. We will keep sample size small that is practical for completion in a one-week duration.
This will include regular follow-up with the participants during the week.

Session III
Date: 16 May 2023
Duration: 1.5 hours
Session details: Analysis and interpretation of the FSA survey. Participants will present the findings of the assessment, challenges, and experiences.
Home assignment for participants: Participants will develop the FSA report and submit it by 19 May 2023.

Himalayan policy writeshop
2023-05-23 - 2023-05-26 | Dhulikhel, Nepal, Nepal
About the event
Communities across the world have depended on millets, a group of cereal grains, as a source of nutrition and sustenance for generations. Despite the potential to address food and nutritional security, millet growth and consumption have been declining. Of late, the importance of millet has been recognised as critical in addressing food security, especially under the current climate change scenarios. The UN FAO has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets and various initiatives have been made by national governments and development organisations to promote this important crop. In this context, the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) is spearheading a campaign to help bring wider awareness about millet production and its significance in addressing food security among policymakers, the media, and the wider public. This writeshop is a follow up to the recently conducted masterclass on food security assessment and will bring together senior-level policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders from the Eastern Himalayan region (Northeast India, Bhutan, and Nepal) to develop policy briefs on millets for each region. The writeshop will be held in Kathmandu in conjunction with the meeting of HUC’s Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, which will set priorities for research collaboration, capacity building, and curriculum uptake among HUC member universities in the region.

Objectives

Build the capacity of selected country representatives to make concrete, policymaker-focused recommendations relevant to the national or sub-national contexts
Provide support to develop policy briefs which highlight policy, research, and knowledge gaps, as well as barriers and bottlenecks to millet revival and integration in Himalayan food systems
Bring together academics and policymakers to facilitate knowledge exchange, establish common understanding around millet production, and produce three country-specific national policy briefs
Build political awareness on the importance of millets from the perspective of food security and nutrition and indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage

Expected outcomes

Participant understanding around millet production and marketing will be established
Three country-specific policy briefs will be developed; the briefs will be concise and action oriented.

About the organisers
The Himalayan University Consortium is a network of 90 member universities in the eight Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) countries and outside of the HKH region. The Consortium aims to foster regional and international collaboration in innovative research and education for sustainable mountain futures in the region. Its Secretariat resides at the International Centre of Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu. The University of Reading’s (UK) School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, founded in 1892, has expertise spanning agriculture, animal science, international development, environmental management, food marketing and consumer behaviour. In the latest Research Excellence Framework, the School’s research was internationally recognised, with 91% of work in international development rated as internationally excellent, along with 80% of work in agriculture and agri-food economics. As part of the Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems (GRAPE) project, ICIMOD is taking the lead in implementing GRAPE Field of Action (FA) 2 – action research – in Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces of Nepal. GRAPE is jointly planned and financed by the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Agenda

Time
Session

22 May 2023, Day 0 – Arrival

Participants arrive in Dhulikhel Meeting of organisers (16:00)

23 May 2023, Day 1 – Introduction, context, and preparation for the writeshop

09:30–10:30
Facilitator – Chi Huyen Truong (Shachi), Programme Coordinator, HUC Remarks – Grady Walker, University of Reading and Co-Lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, HUC Remarks – Prasant Kumar Swain, Former Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmer Welfare, Government of India Overview of the writeshop – Chubamenla Jamir, Co-Lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, HUC Introduction of participants

10:30–10:45
Tea & coffee

10:45–12:00
Remarks – Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative for Nepal and Bhutan Introduction to the International Year of Millets, FAO context – Arun G. C., Technical Expert, FAO GRAPE’s alignment in conservation and promotion of future smart food crops in HKH – Abid Hussain, Senior Economist and Food Systems Specialist, ICIMOD Heritage dimension of agriculture and diet – Hayley Saul, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Heritage for Global Challenges Research Centre, Department of Archaeology, University of York

12:00–12:30
Sharing expectations questions

12:30–13:30
Lunch

13:30–15:30
Food Security Assessment tools – Chubamenla Jamir

15:30–16:00
Tea & coffee

16:00–17:30
Stakeholder mapping (country teams) using influence/interest matrix Identifying policy objectives/outcomes Identifying key stakeholders/policymakers/bottlenecks Preparation for working in country teams Non-core writing participants depart

24 May 2023, Day 2 – Writeshop

09:30–10:45
Review template for policy brief Edit introductory sections (plenary) Overview of writing in groups

10:45–11:00
Tea & coffee

11:00–13:00
Divide into country teams and allocate sections based on mapping exercise

13:00–14:00
Lunch

14:00–15:30
Continue writing in country teams

15:30–16:00
Tea & coffee

16:00–17:00
Continue writing in country teams

17:00–17:30
Feedback to plenary on progress Questions Preparation for Day 3 Further team writing in the evening, if required

25 May 2023, Day 3 – Writeshop (half day) and meeting of the TWG on Mountain Agriculture (half day)

HUC TWG members arrive

09:30–10:45
Feedback on writing in groups and progress Country teams insert text into templates and revise

10:45–11:00
Tea & coffee

11:00–13:00
Reviewing the templates in plenary Crafting the conclusion and revisiting the introduction Final agreement on rough edit Responsibilities, roles, and feasibility to launch policy documents in respective countries Thank you and farewell to core writers who depart after lunch

13:00–14:00
Lunch (meet and greet with new arrivals for HUC TWG meeting)

14:00–15:30
Meeting of the TWG on Mountain Agriculture Introduction and welcome – Chi Huyen Truong (Shachi), Programme Coordinator, HUC – Grady Walker, University of Reading and Co-Lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, HUC – Chubamenla Jamir, Co-Lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, HUC Summary of the policy writeshop Updates on activities and research plans from TWG members – 10 min presentations on research, teaching, institution, etc from each HKH country (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan)

15:30–16:00
Tea & coffee

16:00–17:00
Summary of activities from HUC TWG on Mountain Agriculture Open discussion: opportunities for collaboration

17:00–18:00
Work on action plans for TWGs moving forward Feedback from the TWG co-leads Discuss agenda for final day

26 May 2023, Day 4 – Field visits

09:30–19:30
Depart venue in Dhulikhel in the morning and return by evening Detailed agenda of field visits to follow

27 May 2023, Day 5 – Departures

Transfer to airport for departures

Meeting of HUC Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture
2023-05-25 - 2023-05-26 | Dhulikhel, Nepal, Nepal
About
Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Australia, and the UK from the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC)’s Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Mountain Agriculture are coming together to attend this first in-person meeting post-Covid 19. HUC’s TWG on Mountain Agriculture has the distinction of being the very first as well as the longest-lasting TWG. This meeting will set priorities for research collaboration, capacity building, and curriculum uptake among HUC member universities in the region.
Objectives

Develop the 2023 workplan for the TWG on Mountain Agriculture

Expected outcome

Establish better regional collaboration in research and training in mountain agriculture

Background
The HUC TWGs promote regional collaboration in research and training for sustainable mountain development by enhancing the networking and partnership amongst institutions and providing the opportunity for joint research activities. The TWGs are designed to identify priorities for actions in their themes/areas; jointly develop research proposals to be submitted to donors; and collaborate in training and curriculum building/uptake from research in respective working areas:

Mountain Heritage and Tourism
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) My Climate Risk
Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience
Mountain Agriculture
Himalayan Environmental Humanities
Cryosphere and Society
Renewable Energy
Water

Agenda
25 May 2023: Meeting of the TWG on Mountain Agriculture (half day)

Time (NPT)
Programme

HUC TWG members arrive

13:00–14:00
Lunch (meet and greet with new arrivals for HUC TWG meeting)

14:00–15:30
Introduction and welcome – HUC Secretariat Summary of the policy writeshop Updates on activities and research plans from TWG members

Option for 10 min presentations from each TWG member on research/teaching/institution/etc

15:30–16:00
Tea & coffee

16:00–17:00
Summary of activities from HUC TWG on Mountain Agriculture Open discussion: opportunities for collaboration

17:00–18:00
Work on action plans for TWGs moving forward Feedback from the Secretariat Discuss agenda for final day

26 May 2023: Field visits

09:30–19:30
Depart venue in Dhulikhel in the morning and return by evening Detailed agenda of field visits to follow

27 May 2023: Departures

Transfer to airport for departures

Participatory visual methods for grassroots policy advocacy
2023-05-26 | ICIMOD Headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal
About the workshop
This workshop introduces the use of participatory visual methods as a tool for advocacy, with an emphasis on bottom-up policy communications. Broadly, visual methods involve the use of photography, video, artwork, and other media in research and engagement activities. The emphasis of this session will be on the use of video. Using visual methods opens a space for creativity, where new ideas, interpretations, and subjective knowledge can enter a discussion. Visual methods can be central to participant-led investigations of issues that are important to a particular group of people, in a particular context, and at a particular time. Participatory visual methods can also be integrated into a wide range of activities and projects, including participatory action research, that have been used to address unequal power relations and other ethical concerns and limitations. The workshop will bring media and other stakeholders engaged in advocacy from the HKH region. This workshop is part of HUC’s campaign to help bring wider awareness about millet production and its significance in addressing food security among policymakers, the media and the wider public. We believe this will provide insights and guidance to policy makers, development organisations, and other relevant stakeholders in formulating millet-related policies, initiatives, and articulating the issues through the media and other platforms in the region.
Objectives
The workshop will provide opportunities for participants to learn about participatory visual methods, create a short film using a camera kit, and develop a policy advocacy plan.
Expected outcomes
At the end of this workshop, the participants will:

Understand the strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities for participatory visual methods in their projects and programmes
Gain a foundation for understanding participatory visual methods, designing, and facilitating participatory visual methods activities, and developing grassroots policy/advocacy plans

Agenda
10:30–16:30 (NPT) All sessions will be conducted by Grady Walker, University of Reading and Co-lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture, HUC

Time (NPT)
Programme

10:30–11:30
Welcome Introductions Theoretical background

11:30–12:30
Developing stories with a storyboard

12:30–13:30
Lunch

13:30–14:30
Practice with the camera Shooting the storyboards

14:30–15:30
Shooting continued Screening of short movies

15:30–16:30
Developing policy advocacy plan Conclusions

Mainstreaming indigenous and local knowledge systems into adaptation communication for the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region
2023-08-10 - 2023-08-11 | ICIMOD, Kathmandu University, Nepal
About the workshop
Indigenous, traditional, and local knowledge (ITLK) systems are diverse forms of knowledge prevalent across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. ITLK systems are often integrated into livelihood strategies and coping strategies for climate change impacts. With the support of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and partners including ICIMOD-HUC, HNV Garwal University, AMARC-Asia Pacific (AP), Ministry of Climate Change – Pakistan, Bhutan Himalayan Research Initiatives (BHRI)-Bhutan, Royal University of Bhutan, and Keio University, the CAPaBLE project “Development of adaptation communication framework mainstreaming indigenous and local knowledge for Hindu-Kush Himalayan Region” was developed. As a result, various investigations, capacity building, and new initiatives have been started, including a new HUC thematic working group on ILK and LLA. This workshop provides an ideal opportunity to share and showcase the findings of this initiative and discuss steps for follow-up.
Objectives
The two-day workshop aims to:

Share the activities and findings of the project
Share the outcome and impacts of capacity building involving community radios
Discuss the framework for mainstreaming bottom-up adaptation communication of ITLK climate actions and initiatives
Discuss the way forward for promoting ITLK as a basis for locally-led climate action

Agenda
Day 1: 10 August 2023 – Knowledge sharing day

Time (NPT)
Programme
Speakers

09:30–10:00
Welcome and opening remarks
Group photo

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICMOD
Osamu Mizuno, Programme Director Water and Adaptation, IGES
Yam Prasad Pokharel, Director General, Forest Research and Training Centre and Focal Person for Nepal, APN

10:00–10:20
Project introduction
Binaya Raj Shivakoti, Senior Policy Researcher (Water and Adaptation), IGES

10:20–11:00
Project activities and outcomes in India
Presentation 1: Climate change perception and adaptations of indigenous communities in central Himalayan, Uttarakhand, India
Presentation 2: Local Indigenous knowledge of ethnoveterinary and uses of medicinal plants in central Himalayan rural landscape, Uttarakhand, India
Presentation 3: ILK application for urban planning

Rakesh Maikhuri, Professor, HNV Garwal University
Rakesh Maikhuri, HNV Garwal University
Ravindra Singh, Guest Faculty, Department of Environmental Sciences, HNV Garwal University
Harshit Sosan Lakra, Professor, IIT Rorkee, India

11:00–11:40
Project activities and outcomes in Bhutan
Call for regional investments and interventions in intangible cultural heritage research related to farming in the Bhutan Himalaya
Presentation 1: Connecting nature and farming through the traditional rice plantation ritual practice in the western region of Bhutan
Presentation 2: Cattle herds held at helm for sustaining livelihood by revering and propitiating in the southern communities of Bhutan by

Phanchung, Executive Director, Bhutan Himalayan Research Initiatives
Namgyel Wangmo, Research Officer, Bhutan Himalayan Research Initiatives
Yeshi Choden, Bhutan Himalayan Research Initiatives

11:40–13:10
Lunch break

13:10–13:40
Project activities and outcomes in Pakistan
Special keynote: Current state of climate change impact and challenges for adaptation at the local level in Pakistan

Hadika Jamshaid, Advisor to Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan
Saima Saifique, Program Manager, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan

13:40–14:00
Project activities by HUC
Chi Huyen Truong (Shachi), Programme Coordinator, HUC Secretariat

Community Media Session

14:00–14:30
Project activities and outcomes by AMARC
Presentation 1: Capacity building of community radios in HKH
Presentation 2: Demonstration of radio programme

Suman Basnet, Regional Director, AMARC-AP

14:30–15:00
Tea and refreshments

15:00–16:30
Community media discussion session
Moderated by: Suman Basnet, AMARC-AP

Representatives from community media broadcasters

Day 2: 11 August 2023 – Session on “Adaptation communication of Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) System”

Time (NPT)
Programme
Speakers

09:30–10:30
Challenges for identifying, validating and documenting ILK
(Framing presentation followed by discussion)

Binaya Raj Shivakoti, IGES

10:30–12:00
Opportunities for promoting and communicating ILK effectively

Research and education
Media and information technology
Youth engagement
Regional collaboration

All participants

12:30–13:30
Lunch

13:30–15:00
Discussion on establishing bottom-up approach of adaptation communication in relation to ILK

Approaches of communication at the local level
Connecting local and national levels

All participants

15:00–15:30
Tea & refreshments

15:30–16:30
Summarising outcomes and impacts Way forward Closing
All participants

HUC Task Force on Sustainability and Resource Mobilisation
2023-09-20 - 2023-09-23 | Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal
Background
HUC is a thriving network of over 90 universities in the eight Hindu Kush Himalaya countries and across the world. The Consortium’s driving force lies in its Thematic Working Groups and cross-cutting groups: member-led clusters operating on a resource-sharing basis.
One of the key decisions of the HUC Steering Committee Meeting in Lanzhou in April 2023 was to establish a Sustainability and Resource Mobilisation Task Force. The Sustainability Task Force (STF) will act as an advisory body to the HUC Steering Committee. The STF will commence in the third/last quarter of 2023 and complete its mandate by the end of the implementation of the HUC Strategy 2025.
Within 10 days of open solicitation in early August, 12 Co-Leads of the HUC Thematic Working Groups, cross-cutting workgroups, and dedicated scholars signed up as members of the STF. Two Steering Committee members, Prof Tri Ratna Bajracharya (Tribhuvan University, Nepal) and Prof Nichole Georgeou (Western Sydney University, Australia), will co-chair the STF.

Objectives

Discuss detailed work plan, with clear priorities, for the term of the STF
Assign specific tasks to each member and clusters of members
Map resources that can be mobilised for the STF activities during its term

Previous HUC Task Forces
The Membership Policy Review Task Force (2017-2018) was co-led by two Steering Committee Members, Prof Xu Jun (Sichuan University) and Prof Ashok Gurung (the India China Institute). Based on a thorough review of the quality of HUC membership and the key lessons learned from the exposure visit to the International Secretariat of the UArctic (Rovaniemi, Finland, July 2017), the Membership Task Force proposed: i) To devise a membership fee collection scheme, to be discussed and endorsed by members; ii) the Consortium to consider expanding membership categories to include individual scholars, policymakers and practitioners as well as like-minded consortia; iii) establish a cluster focusing on resource mobilisation for the Consortium’s short-term collaborative activities and medium-term sustainability.
The Education for Sustainable Mountain Futures Task Force (2019-2020) was led by Dr Phanchung, ICIMOD Mountain Chair (2017–2019). It met in Lobesa, Bhutan (June 2019) and Kathmandu (February 2020), resulting in a well-crafted Education for Sustainable Mountain Futures Strategy, endorsed by the HUC Steering Committee and the General Assembly through e-voting.

Agenda
Wednesday, 20 September

Time (NPT)
Programme

17:00
Registration

17:30–18:30
Introduction of co-chairs and members of the Sustainable and Resource Mobilisation Task Force

18:00-20:00
Welcome dinner at Hotel Himalaya

Thursday, 21 September

Time (NPT)
Programme

17:00 sharp
Bus departing from ICIMOD (after the first day of 2nd HKH Science Policy Forum) for Hotel Himalaya

18:00-20:00
Working dinner
Two writing groups

Member Business
Resource Mobilisation

Friday, 22 September

Time (NPT)
Programme

17:00 sharp
Bus departing from ICIMOD (after the second and final day of 2nd HKH Science Policy Forum) for Dhokaima
Cafe

18:00-20:00
Working dinner
Two writing groups

Member Business
Resource Mobilisation

Saturday, 23 September

Time (NPT)
Programme

09:00-12:00
Chair: Prof Tri Ratna Bajracharya
Plenary
Resource mapping for Task Force and Consortium activities 2023–2025
Closing

12:00-13:00
Lunch break
END OF THE MEETING

13:00
Depart from Kathmandu

Himalayan University Consortium India Country Chapter
2023-09-26 - 2023-09-27 | IIT–Roorkee, Roorkee, India, India
About the meeting
This meeting of the HUC India Country Chapter will put forth nominations for the HUC Steering Committee Member representing India, to be endorsed by the Steering Committee and General Assembly.

Objectives
The proposed action points for these meetings are:

Reconvene under the leadership of Prof Dr Kamal Kishore Pant, Director of IIT-Roorkee, the HUC India Country Chapter to appraise vice chancellors of HUC members and VCs of potential members of the progress of the HUC community in India.
Members of the HUC India Country Chapter will deliberate on the sustainability pathways for the Consortium and chart out the way forward in fostering collaborations amongst HUC members in the country and with HUC members in the HKH region.

Background
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) is a network of almost 90 member universities and higher education institutions in the eight Hindu Kush Himalaya countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and other parts of the world. The HUC fosters regional and global cooperation in research and education of and for fair, inclusive, and sustainable development in the HKH mountains and adjunct areas. The network engages top-notch professional women and men capable of undertaking high-quality research, education, teaching, and dissemination of mountain-focused, HKH-specific knowledge. The Consortium’s elected ten-member Steering Committee and the Secretariat provide coordination in network building, partnership strengthening, resource sharing, and resource mobilisation activities. The Secretariat is hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD, Kathmandu).

The process to establish the HUC Country Chapter in India
Since 2016, HUC members in India have tripled in number. In October 2016, the G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) co-hosted an International Conference, in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the HUC General Assembly at the Indian Science National Academy, gathering 25 Vice Chancellors/Rectors and 20 senior representatives of members from five Hindu Kush Himalaya countries and other regions. In 2018, five (Pro-) Vice Chancellors/Directors of India’s HUC members met at TERI School of Advanced Studies to deliberate on the need for a country chapter of the Consortium to coordinate members and mobilise resources for inter-university collaboration in and for India’s Himalayan Region (IHR). In 2018, a group of senior representatives visited the University Grants Commission (UGC) and met Dr D P Singh, Honourable Chairperson, drawing his attention to the importance of collaboration among IHR universities. At the High-Level Meeting of UGC/Higher Education Commission/National Education Planning Commission chairpersons, in conjunction with the HUC Annual Meeting in Kathmandu, in October 2018, Dr D P Singh, Honourable Chairperson of UGC India offered a strong endorsement for the HUC Country Chapter in India and confirmed UGC’s support for mountain-focused, Himalayan-specific research and training and regional collaboration in UGC grant-making policy. In 2020, 13 Vice Chancellors of Central Universities in 13 Himalayan States and Territories met under the auspices of NITI Aayog and arrived at a consensus on the importance of building an effective alliance for higher education for sustainable Himalayas.

Agenda
Tuesday, 26 September 2023
All timings are in India Standard Time (IST).

Time
Programme

17:30
Registration

18:00–20:00
Welcome remarks – Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT-Roorkee
Introduction of Participants
Welcome dinner

Wednesday, 27 September 2023

Time
Programme

08:00 sharp
Bus departing from Ambrosia Sarovar Portico, Haridwar for IIT-Roorkee

09:00–09:05
Official group photo taking

Inaugural session
Facilitator: Harshit Sosan Lakra, Professor, IIT-Roorkee

IIT-Roorkee Research, Training, and International Collaboration for Sustainability in the Indian
Himalayan Region – Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT-Roorkee
An overview of the Himalayan University Consortium and India Chapter – Chi H Truong (Shachi),
HUC Secretariat Lead, ICIMOD

09:30–10:30
Plenary session 1: Fostering in-country, regional, and international collaboration in research
for sustainable Indian Himalayan Region
Facilitator: Sumit Sen, Professor, Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management,
IIT-Roorkee
Panelists:

Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT-Roorkee
Sudhir Kumar, Director, NIH
Shri Virendra R Tiwari, Director, WII
JC Kuniyal, Scientist G and Head – CEA&CC, G B Pant NIHE
Sarala Khaling, Regional Director, ATREE
Gretchen Kalonji, Director Dean of Institute, Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) of
Sichuan University – Hong Kong Polytechnic

10:30–10:45
Coffee/Tea break

10:45–11:45
Plenary session 2: The role of higher education institutions in nurturing future leadership for
a sustainable Himalaya
Facilitator: Shachi Truong, HUC-ICIMOD
Panellists

Anita Pandey, Professor, Graphic Era University
Prof. Saurabh Kulshrestha, Dean, Research and Development, Shoolini University of Biotechnology
& Management Science
Deepak K Mishra, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Prof Irshad A Nawchoo, Dean, Research, University of Kashmir
M S Chauhan, Vice Chancellor, GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology
Rakesh K Maikhuri, Head Department of Environmental Science, H N B Garhwal University
Prof Prateek Sharma, Act Vice Chancellor, TERI School of Advanced Studies
Prof T K Kharbamon, Vice Chancellor, Martin Luther Christian University

Word Cafe rotational group work: HUC Country Chapter in India Plan for Action 2023–2025
Station 1. Collaboration in research
Facilitator: Asst Prof Ram Sateesh Pasupuleti, Professor, IIT-Roorkee
Station 2. Collaboration in capacity building
Facilitator: Prof Roopam Shukla, Professor, IIT-Roorkee
Station 3. Resource Mobilization
Facilitator: Shachi Truong, HUC-ICIMOD
Participants group into clusters of 5-6 people and rotate across three stations, discuss at each
station for 10 minutes
Facilitators summarise input, 5 minutes each
Open discussion, 15 minutes

12:45–13:00
Nomination of candidate(s) for Steering Committee Member representing India

13:00
Closing
Key decisions and action points
Votes of thanks
Lunch
END OF THE MEETING

How to strengthen the HUC Network for safeguarding Hill Heritage?
2023-09-29 | IIT–Roorkee, Roorkee, India, India
About the meeting
The HUC Thematic Working Group on DRR and Resilience is supporting a youth–focused special session as part of the 13th International Conference of the International Society for the Integrated Disaster Risk Management on 29 September 2023.
Heritage plays a crucial role in encouraging societal cohesion and sustainable development. We are suffering from the progressive loss of heritage due to natural disasters such floods, landslides, fires, earthquakes, as well as human activity insufficient conservation measures, heritage places are at risk of disaster man–made activities, and other dangers. There are several ways that cultural and natural heritage can mitigate or lessen the effects of disasters. One way is historical conservation, through which local communities are encouraged to take ownership of and take part in the creation and upkeep of their history.
Disaster preparedness and response in India is a relatively new subject, especially for museums and other cultural heritage sites. The relief, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts following a disaster were the main objectives of disaster management. Museums in Delhi, Srinagar, Jaipur, and other towns have sustained serious and irreparable damage as a result of disasters. In order to deal with these disasters, it is essential to equip young professionals working in museum and historic site management with the skills necessary to establish their own disaster management strategies.

Objectives
This session aims to:

Bring together different stakeholders, young researchers, academicians, policymakers, practitioners working in or interested to work in the field of DRR initiatives, especially in the context of hill heritage at risk
Develop a roadmap on how and in what ways we can strengthen the HUC Network that can enable the partnering institutions and associated partners and stakeholders to come together and work for safeguarding hill heritage

Background
The HUC Thematic Working Groups are clusters of individual scholars who are affiliated with HUC as full or associate members, operating on a resource sharing basis. The Thematic Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience group has been active since 2018, under the leadership of Co–Leads in China, India, and Thailand.

Agenda
Tuesday, 26 September 2023
All timings are in India Standard Time (IST).

Time
Programme

10:00–10:30
Briefing session:

Introduction to hill heritage at risk
Introduction to HUC

10:30–10:45
Key issues and challenges
The role of HUC in safeguarding Hill heritage
Identifying key questions and thematic clusters for discussion
Tentative thematic clusters:

Hill museums safety and disaster management
Planning for safe pilgrimage routes in hilly areas
Integrating traditional knowledge systems in DRR
Safeguarding intangible heritage for DRR
Protection of cultural and religious buildings in hilly areas
Climate change risks on cultural heritage

10:45–11:35
Guided deliberation across different participant groups

How to identify risks?
How to mitigate and manage disaster risks?
How to develop effective risk communication?

Presentation by each group (3 min)

11:35–12:20
Guided deliberation

What is the role of HUC?
How to strengthen HUC Network for safeguarding Hill Heritage?
Preparing a roadmap for strengthening HUC–Hill Heritage Network

12:20–12:30
Concluding remarks

Risk data of the High Mountains of Asia: stakeholder mapping and framework development
2023-11-02 - 2023-11-03 | Dhulikhel, Nepal, Nepal
About the event
HUC, with partners, is poised to launch the Cross-cutting Workgroup on High Mountain Data. This meeting will bring together practitioners from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region with expertise on the curation, production, or use of risk data. Professionals from different domains of risk data use will also clarify its different uses and applications globally.
The HiRISK project, funded by Mountain Research Initiative, is designed to consolidate regional knowledge on required and available data on risks in mountain contexts. The project aims to establish a comprehensive dashboard (hirisk.org) that will ideally serve as the primary platform for mountain risk data, its use and best practices in sharing and application in the region. Practitioners will also help identify the needs of all stakeholders towards the establishment of this dashboard.
We anticipate that the HiRISK project will lead to the development of draft guidelines on available and necessary risk data in High-Mountain Asia (HMA), carry out stakeholder mapping for risk data, and develop the dashboard to communicate risk data in HMA. This project and proposed data portal are being initiated based on the collective request from regional and international stakeholders, ranging from both academia, government, and non-government organisations responsible for hazard and risk management, insurance companies and media personalities.

Objectives

Develop the first draft on guidelines for mountain risk data in the HKH region
Draft a framework for the data portal to be developed in 2024

Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, 02 November 2023

Time (NPT)
Programme

10:00 – 12:00
Introduction of all participants and their experiences on needs related to risk data in High-Mountain Asia

12:00 – 12:30
Presentation by a global reinsurance company – Chandan Verma, SwissRe, India

12:30 – 13:30
Lunch

13:30 – 15:00
Brief presentation of available datasets and models (EMDAT, CLIMADA, OASIS)

Group work to define risk data, current gaps and potential

15:00 – 15:15
Tea break

15:15 – 15:45
Presentation by a global risk modeler – FATHOM, UK

15:45 – 18:00
Group work to characterize relevant stakeholders/potential users and their capacities in data use, production and willingness to share and apply

18:00 – 20:00
Working dinner

Day 2: Friday, 3 November 2023

Time (NPT)
Programme

09:00 – 10:30
Internal presentations on available datasets and data initiatives in HMA

10:30 – 11:00
In person presentation on data needs for global communication of risk – CarbonBrief, UK

11:00 – 11:10
Tea break

11:10 – 12:00
In person presentation on Oasis Loss Modelling Framework – Claire Souch, RMS, UK

12:00 – 13:00
Lunch

13:00 – 14:50
Group discussion and sketching on visualisation of risk data, metadata, and related issues in an interactive dashboard

14:50 – 15:00
Tea break

15:00 – 16:00
Presentation by a mountain risk expert – Holger Frey, GAPHAZ, Switzerland

16:00 – 17:30
Steps ahead for production of dashboard and stakeholder interaction (clear tasks and timelines of team members)

Cross-cutting workgroup on open geospatial and community-led mapping for sustainable and resilient HKH
2023-11-16 - 2023-11-18 | Bangkok, Thailand, Thailand
About the event
Himalayan University Consortium(HUC) fellows will be showcasing their mountain-focused work at the Open Geospatial Conference and State of the Map Asia 2023, in Bangkok. The theme for this year’s conference is urban resilience. The meeting will also gather HUC-supported mappers, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of open geospatial and community-led mapping from Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries.
Objectives

Showcase mountain-focused, HKH-specific work of HUC-supported mappers as part of the HOTOSM community
Discuss the possibility of establishing a cross-cutting workgroup on open geospatial technologies and community-led mapping for sustainable and resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya
The expected outcome is a concrete action plan for the cross-cutting workgroup for the year 2024.

Background
Open geospatial tools and technologies are free and accessible to the public. Community-led mapping is a method of participatory approach that engages stakeholders in generating geospatial data based on their needs for socio-economic development and resilience building in the face of climate change and other uncertainties. The use of open geospatial tools and technologies through community-led participatory mapping approach is highly effective for first response and relief operation in extremely challenging circumstances of disruptions in critical infrastructure during cascading and compound disasters. They are also an effective communication tool in resilience and community building, especially for mapping tangible and intangible heritage that matters to local communities.
Members and partners of HUC have been active in promoting the development, application, and refinement of open geospatial tools and technologies for research and practice in the HKH. Since 2021, HUC has collaborated closely with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team Asia Pacific (HOTOSM) to train young female community members in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and northeast India as part of She Leads and She Inspires programme. In March 2023, HUC collaborated with the University of Innsbruck and University of Bremen in hosting a Training on Glacier Modelling: Practical applications with the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM). These capacity-building activities generated a cohort of young professionals, many of them women, making use of open geospatial tools in their local context and addressing local concerns.
Agenda
Wednesday, 15 November

Time
Programme

17:00
Arrival

17:30 – 18:30
Introduction

18:30 – 20:00
Working dinner

Discussion on a road map toward the formation of a Cross-cutting Workgroup on Open Geospatial Technologies and Community-led Mapping for Sustainable and Resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya

Thursday, 16 November

Time (NPT)
Programme

8:00 onwards
Full day engagement at the Open Geospatial Conference and State of the Map Asia 2023

18:00 – 20:00
Reception dinner

Friday, 17 November

Time (NPT)
Programme

8:00 onwards
Open talks: Engaging the Open GeoCommunity and civic partners in Asia
HUC presenters will make three collective lightning talks during this session

Strengthening resilience through mapping emergency response routes and health care facilities – Chimi Dema (Bhutan) and Nusrat Jahan Nilima (Bangladesh),
From crisis to resilience: geospatial solutions for climate change and disaster resilience in the HKH region – Sameera Noori (Afghanistan) and Dilshad Bano (Pakistan)
We Can Show and We Can Tell: Narratives of mapping local and indigenous knowledge with community and youths in Lower Eastern Himalayas – Harshit Sosan Lakra (India)

17:00 onwards
Gala dinner

Enhancing graduate competencies and employability for the hydropower sector in Nepal
2023-12-04 - 2023-12-05 | Nagarkot, Nepal, Nepal
About the event
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), as part of the project ‘Research Based Education for Development of Hydropower Professionals for the Himalayan Region’ (Hydro-Himalaya, HHP), is organising a two-day leadership and partnership-building workshop for MSc and PhD students, faculty members, and stakeholders of HHP.
Objectives

Launch the HHP Mentorship programme and provide orientation to both mentors and mentees
Facilitate experience sharing and team building among faculty members researchers, students, mentors, and other stakeholders of HHP
Impart essential leadership and partnership-building skills to participants

Participants
Participants include MSc and PhD students of all three batches of the HHP project, faculty members, researchers, project staff (including the ICIMOD-HUC team), mentors, and keynote speakers will attend the workshop. Staff from Tangent Waves, a Nepal-based consulting firm specialising in entrepreneurship development will be facilitating the workshop. Four keynote speakers from India, Nepal, and Europe (virtual) will speak on competence requirements for the renewable energy sector in South Asia and Europe.
Background
The project ‘Research Based Education for Development of Hydropower Professionals for the Himalayan Region’ (Hydro-Himalaya, HHP) (2021-2026) is funded by Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NOHRED-II) and implemented by the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Secretariat, Kathmandu University, the Norwegian University for Science and Technology, University of South-Eastern Norway and Wuhan University. The HHP aims to develop sustainable and resilient technologies in the hydropower sector in Nepal by strengthening the capacity of higher education institutions in Nepal and other Hindu Kush Himalaya countries to produce higher-quality graduates, more and higher-quality research, and more inclusive higher education.
During the first three years of the project’s duration, 18 MScs and 12 PhD students were selected through an open and competitive process. The year 2023 marked the final enrolment batch and mid-point of the project.
As part of the efforts to enhance the competencies and employability of graduates in the fields of hydropower engineering, the HHP is launching a mentorship program for 30 PhD and Master students (HHP fellows), starting in 2024. The mentors will come from the private sector, development practice, and government or policy-making bodies in Nepal and will support, guide, and advise mentees to achieve their educational and personal goals.
The objectives of the mentorship programme are:

Engage experts and inspiring individuals to leverage their knowledge and experience to enhance the personal and educational careers of the selected candidates
Create a network of strong and motivated young professionals to contribute to the HKH region in a more meaningful way
Support and advise candidates to further improve their knowledge, reaching their full potential and keeping them motivated and active throughout the project period
Advise the Mentoring Coordinator from the HUC on the completion of the mentoring programme provide feedback where appropriate and help further improve future mentorship programme

Sustainable Futures of Mountains and Uplands Chapter of the SSE ASIAN UN
2023-12-14 - 2023-12-16 | Kunming, China, China
About the event
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Secretariat is facilitating a stakeholder consultation meeting as a side event of the South and Southeast Asian University Network (SSE ASIAN UN) Third President Forum in Kunming. This meeting aims to discuss and prepare for the establishment of the Sustainable Futures of Mountains and Uplands Chapter of the SSE ASIAN UN. The mountain chapter aims to promote knowledge exchange and cooperation in research and training on the most acute environmental and pressing socio-economic issues faced by upland communities in South and Southeast Asia amongst SSE ASIAN UN members.
The Third President Forum of the SSE ASIAN UN in Kunming will focus on food security, which is among the key challenges in the uplands and mountains. Vice Chancellors of 12-15 universities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan will attend the forum. The occasion is also an opportune time to touch base with Presidents and Vice Presidents of HUC members in China as part of the effort to refresh the China HUC cluster since the last General Assembly in Kathmandu (2018).
Expected output
The HUC Secretariat will facilitate a follow-up amongst the SSE ASIAN UN members within and outside of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and prepare a proposal and a draft of the Charter to be submitted to SSE ASIAN UN Representative Council. The mountain chapter is expected to be launched in 2024.
Background
The SSE ASIAN UN was established in 2018 as an initiative by Yunnan University and endorsed by the Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China. Its mandate is to serve as a regional platform for higher education cooperation to enhance people-to-people exchanges and bonds amongst South and Southeast Asian countries. 75 out of 120 university members of SSE ASIAN UN come from South and Southeast Asian countries, including HKH countries Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan.
Yunnan University is a good-standing HUC member. It hosted the first meeting of the HUC Thematic Working Group on Trans-Himalayan Environmental Humanities in 2019. Its Institute for International Rivers and Eco-Security is one of ICIMOD’s strategic knowledge partners. Dr Wenling Wang serves as one of the Co-Leads of the HUC Thematic Working Group on Water and a member of the HUC Sustainability and Resource Mobilization Task Force. She has also contributed to ICIMOD’s work on the Upper Indus River Basin Network China Country Chapter.

Himalayan University Consortium Pakistan Members’ Meet
2023-12-26 - 2023-12-27 | Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan
Hosted by: The Higher Education Commission – Pakistan (HEC)
Co-organised by: Karakorum International University, PARC Institute of Advanced Studies in Agriculture, and HUC-ICIMOD

About the meeting
Karakorum International University and Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) are organising a two-day meeting to bring together the Consortium’s members from across the country and update and deliberate on its activities for 2022–2023 and plans for 2024–2025. HUC members, Thematic Working Groups, Cross-cutting Workgroups, and fellows in Pakistan will debrief the HUC leadership on current activities during the event. It will also feature a debriefing of the work of the HUC Task Force on Sustainability and Resource Mobilization and a visioning exercise for the post-2025 outlook of the Consortium upon the completion of the HUC Strategy 2018-2025. Vice Chancellors of two new member universities will sign the HUC Charter, and another eleven universities will refresh their HUC membership at the event.

Background
On 30 December 2021, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and ICIMOD jointly organised a member meet in Pakistan, which was attended by the Vice Chancellors and senior representatives from 12 universities and research institutes representing the mountain areas. Participants in this meeting reviewed mid-term implementation of the HUC Strategy and Plan of Action 2018-2025 and welcomed Dr Tahira Yasmin (Crop Diseases Research Institute) as a new HUC Steering Committee Member.
Out of the Consortium’s 91 members, eleven are from Pakistan. The number of grantees from Pakistan and fellows participating in HUC institutional grants and intensive training programmes has increased over the past five years. Fellows from Pakistan take a leading role in some of the most productive Thematic or Cross-cutting Working Groups and the HUC Sustainability and Resource Mobilization Task Force. There remains an opportunity to boost HUC’s engagement in Pakistan at both institutional and scholarly levels to promote in-country and regional collaboration in research and training for sustainable futures of mountain and downstream communities.

Objectives

Debrief members’ leadership of current activities by HUC members, Thematic and Cross-Cutting Working Groups, and fellows in Pakistan and the progress of the HUC Sustainability and Resource Mobilization Task Force
Debrief a digitalisation and e-learning opportunity for HUC members to be facilitated by ICIMOD and supported by GIZ
Visioning exercise for post-2025 development of the Consortium upon the completion of its 2018-2025 Strategy and Plan for Action

Expected participants

Vice Chancellors of HUC members and incoming members
Focal persons at the Dean/Head of Department levels in the sciences and social sciences from HUC member institutions
Representatives of HUC Thematic and Cross-Cutting Working Groups, Sustainability and Resource Mobilization Task Force, and fellows
Dignitaries from the Higher Education Commission, Aga Khan Foundation, government offices, and other international organizations

Himalayan University Consortium Steering Committee Meeting
2024-04-18 - 2024-04-19
About the meeting
The Steering Committee is the HUC’s highest governing body. The committee’s meetings set the course of action for the Consortium for the calendar year and track the progress of the implementation of the HUC Strategy 2018–2025.
The committee will discuss the Evaluation Report of the HUC by an independent reviewing team, commissioned by ICIMOD and the draft of the Position Paper on the HUC Governance prepared by the HUC Task Force on Sustainability and Resource Mobilization. Apart from members’ business agenda items and welcoming a new member representing China, the Committee will discuss HUC-specific queries raised by the ICIMOD Programme Advisory Committee at the network-focused session during its meeting in Kathmandu on 19 January 2024.
Objectives

HUC Steering Committee members to provide updates on the state of higher education for sustainability and the HUC Country Chapter formation process in their home country
The HUC Secretariat will provide updates on the Consortium’s collaborative capacity building, research, publication, as well as budget and staffing of the Secretariat and member-led resource mobilization in 2023
The Steering Committee will discuss the independent evaluation report
The Steering Committee will discuss the draft of the Position Paper on HUC Governance

KEYNOTE AND PANEL DISCUSSION I
The role of higher education institutions in climate decision-making in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
18 April 2024 | 11:00–12:30 (NPT) | Kailash Hall, ICIMOD and online
PANELLISTS PROFILE

ICIMOD Keynote Address

Aranico Kumar Panday
Honourable Member of National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal
Dr Arnico Panday’s portfolio at the Government of Nepal’s National Planning Commission include the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, as well as disaster risk reduction, climate change, climate finance, SDG’s 13 and 15.
His expertise and experiences include atmospheric science research, air pollution and climate policy, sustainable development planning, institution building, cross-border collaborations, as well as teaching and mentoring. He has previously served in pivotal positions in local to international bodies, including here at ICIMOD!

PANEL DISCUSSION II
From policy translation and science-policy dialogue to evidence-informed policy formulation for climate change mitigation and adaptation
19 April 2024 | 09:30–10:30 (NPT) | Online and Kailash Hall, ICIMOD
PANELLISTS PROFILE

Facilitator: Babar Khan, Enabling Regional and Global Mechanisms for Sustainable Action ICIMOD

Policy pathway in ICIMOD’s Strategy 2030 and Medium-Term Action Plan V 2023-2026 – Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD
Rosalind Cornforth, the Walker Institute, University of Reading (pre-recorded video)
Christopher A Scott, Pennsylvania State University, ICIMOD Mountain Chair 2020-2022 (pre-recorded video)
Guy Howard, Cabot Institute of Environment, Bristol University (pre-recorded video)

UR Field Lab on Himalayan Climate Data
2024-05-13 - 2024-06-07
About the event
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Academy is tying up with the Himalayan Climate Data Field Lab, ‘UR Field Lab’ , for a month-long, participant-led unconference bringing together scholars, practitioners, activists, and storytellers to collaboratively examine and remake the ways climate change data is used in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. The Field Lab organising team includes researchers and practitioners affiliated with the Toronto Climate Observatory at the University of Toronto, the University of Michigan, the United Nations University, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore working in coordination with collaborators from the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and Social Science Baha in Kathmandu.
Over 120 participants from 17 different countries will be participating in this conference. Organising their work around a set of key themes, Field Lab participants will co-design, test and produce new ideas, analytic tools, maps and models, sensing technologies, syllabi and training materials, data protocols, artistic pieces and communication products that address climate change and its impacts. The unconference aims to develop new and effective ways of working with climate change data, while also working to create a more equitable and pluralistic data landscape in the Himalayan region.
To introduce the HKH region and ICIMOD to the global participants of the Field Lab, HUC is hosting an ICIMOD Day on 17 May 2024.

Objectives

Design and co-create new approaches to data and information management that improve processes of decision-making and policy formation in the region
Share knowledge about the diverse ways people make, use, and mobilise climate change data in the Himalayan region
Create resources, curricula, and training materials that will help create more space for critical and pluralistic studies of data within institutions across the Himalayan region
Encourage new forms of collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and geographies focused on exploring new practices and processes of working with climate change data
Develop and test new methods for engaging differently positioned groups in the co-production of climate change data and knowledge
Build an international interdisciplinary network of scholars and practitioners that can facilitate long-term dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration to support future climate change-oriented projects, research, or advocacy efforts.

Background
The HUC enables young researchers to engage in cross-disciplinary scholarships to foster a new generation of transformational leaders committed to mountain research capable of producing consequential knowledge, innovate and effective policies, and environmentally responsible business practices to address mountain challenges in the HKH from transboundary perspectives. HUC’s Academies extend this commitment through four signature features: mountain focus, inter- and trans-disciplinarity, field research, and leadership.
The HUC Academy, the Consortium’s flagship programme, caters to early- and mid-career researchers, practitioners, and government officials, aiming to impart an inter- and trans-disciplinary approach to research mountain issues and co-create solutions. The Academy is making transition toward a collaborative learning space where members shape and lead the process to achieve individual and collective learning outcomes. The HUC community embraces digital learning as a powerful pathway to equitable and inclusive capacity development for all. From 2017-2019, the HUC Academies have focused on varying aspects of research in the HKH from disaster risk and water management to economic opportunities for transformative change and climate science and adaptation. In 2018, we conducted a ‘HUC – IHCAP glacier monitoring training’, and ‘Regional training on springshed management for socio-ecological resilience in the HKH’ in 2019. During the mobility restrictions imposed by the Covid-19, the HUC embraced e-learning as an opportunity to continue capacity development and engagement with fellows in the region. An online course on Water–energy–food nexus, led by Prof Dr Christopher A Scott, catered to 25 synchronous and 107 asynchronous participants from across the Hindu Kush Himalaya and outside of the region. Another intensive virtual programme, ‘Teaching sustainability and localising the Sustainable Development Goals in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’ was organised in collaboration with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Hybrid courses include ‘Bringing meaning to statistical practice in climate science using R’ by Prof Theodore G Shepherd and a masterclass on food security assessment, by Dr Chubbamenla Jamir.

Meeting between the USDA delegation from Michigan State University and the HUC at the ICIMOD
2024-05-20 | Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal
About the meeting
A delegation of four distinguished scholars in the fields of agriculture sciences from Michigan State University (MSU) and Kathmandu University (KU) colleagues will meet with colleagues from the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to understand the mutual interests, strengths, and needs in capacity development and bridging science-policy-practice for climate resilient agriculture and water-energy-food-ecology nexus in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH). It is part of an exploration of the potential to host a Node in Bhutan and Nepal of the USDA Asia Hub, or to collaborate with the Node.
Objectives

Build mutual understanding of common interests, strengths, and needs in capacity development and bridging science-policy-practice for climate-resilient agriculture and water-energy-food-ecology nexus in the HKH.
It is part of an exploration of the potential to host a Node in Bhutan and Nepal of the USDA Asia Hub or to collaborate with that Node.

Participants
USDA Michigan State University

Dr Yadu Pokhrel, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr Steven Pueppke, Professor and Senior Scientist, Asia Hub
Dr Jiaguo Qi, Professor and Director, Asia Hub
Titus Awokuse, Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Partnerships, International Studies and Programs

Kathmandu University

Professor Dr Bim Prasad Shrestha, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering

Himalayan University Consortium

Dr Chi H Truong (Shachi), Secretariat Lead, Ex-officio Steering Committee Member
Dr Chubbamenla Jamir, Co-Lead, Thematic Working Group on Mountain Agriculture (virtual participation)
Dr Graham (Grady) Walker, University of Reading, Co-Lead, TWG on Mountain Agriculture (virtual participation)
Dr Christina Justice, University of Maryland, Understanding Risk Himalayan Climate Data Field Lab, Kathmandu, 13 May – 7 June

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD
Dr Babar Khan, Action Area Coordinator, Building Institutions for Regional Cooperation and Collaboration
Dr Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Senior Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Specialist, SERVIR, ICIMOD
Sravan Shrestha, Senior Associate, SERVIR, ICIMOD

Background
This meeting is a follow-up to a meeting on 14 February 2024, when a delegation of three USDA fellows and other KU colleagues, headed by the Chief of Scientific advisory committee to the Prime Minister of Nepal, visited ICIMOD.
About the organiser
The Himalayan University Consortium (est. 2007) has its mandate to develop an effective, sustainable network of universities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, in collaboration with academic research and knowledge-generating and exchange institutions both within and outside the region. This network engages top-notch professional women and men capable of undertaking high-quality research, education, teaching, and knowledge dissemination in service of a mountain-specific, sustainable, fair and inclusive development for HKH communities and adjoining mountainous areas. The Consortium’s eleven-member Steering Committee and a Secretariat coordinate with member institutions in network building, partnership enhancing, collaboration promoting, resource sharing and fundraising activities. The Secretariat is hosted by the ICIMOD and funded through the generous support of ICIMOD’s core donors: the Governments of Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

HUC Members’ Day in Bangladesh
2024-06-01 - 2024-06-03 | University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, Bangladesh
About the event
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) is organising an HUC Members’ Day in Bangladesh, with the aim of enhancing HUC membership in the country by:

Apprising the leadership of current HUC members about the development of the HUC, its Thematic and Cross-cutting Workgroups, and soliciting their input on regional and international cooperation in research and education on mountain and upstream-downstream climate, environmental, and socio-economic issues in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)
Reconnecting with HUC fellows, updating them about innovative modalities for individual researchers and scholars to lead HUC activities, understanding their capacity needs, and scoping the resources they can contribute to building the network
Reviewing the implementation status of the HUC Strategy 2018-2025 and preparing for the transition to the 2026-2030 period
Discussing practical pathways to expand membership, enhance its quality membership, and mobilise in-country, regional, and international resources for scientific cooperation and education collaboration

The HUC Members’ Day will be hosted by the University of Chittagong and chaired by Professor Md Rezaur Rahman, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), who is also the HUC Steering Committee Member representing Bangladesh.

Background
Among the 163 universities in Bangladesh, seven are HUC members, with BUET and Chittagong University being the most active. Meanwhile, approximately 30 Bangladeshi fellows have been grant recipients and participants in HUC capacity-building activities to date. Some of the fellows, such as Dr Sara Nowreen (BUET), have played leading roles in HUC activities and represented the HKH community in global forums. Active Thematic and Cross-cutting Working Groups involve Bangladesh-based scholars and conduct activities in Bangladesh-based platforms, such as the Gobeshona Conference. However, the impact of these activities on the membership in the country remains limited. The most recent member engagement mission of the then HUC Steering Group and Secretariat took place at Chittagong University in April 2017.
On average, the Secretariat receives one or two applications for full membership from Bangladesh annually, mostly recommended by the HUC Steering Committee Member representing or the focal person for Bangladesh at ICIMOD. Individual responses to HUC open calls for participation remain from medium to high as a result of the extensive mailing list the Secretariat maintains. Overall, knowledge about HUC, its mandates, activities, and mode of operation, and the impact and outreach of the HUC activities, among higher education institutions in Bangladesh remain limited.
The current size of the HUC membership is disproportionate to the scale of climate change, environmental, and socio-economic issues faced by the upstream and downstream communities in Bangladesh and the potential of research expertise and resources the country can offer. Furthermore, the country hosts important regional and international high-level bodies on climate change such as the Climate Vulnerable Forum. It is a home of significant south-led initiatives, most notably the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and BRAC. These organizations and societal forces in Bangladesh present an important opportunity for the HUC community to learn from and build on for its productivity and sustainability.

PROPOSED AGENDA
SPEAKER PROFILE

Inception meeting of the HUC Thematic Working Group on Mountain Food Systems
2024-06-03 - 2024-06-06 | BRAC, Savar, Bangladesh, Bangladesh
About the event
The inception meeting will identify priority areas of the Thematic Working Group (TWG) on on Mountain Food Systems and will develop a work plan for the TWG.

Background
The Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) are member-led, self-funded and self-organising clusters working on specific thematic areas that are significant in the region. The TWGs work together to promote regional collaboration in research and training for sustainable mountain development by enhancing the networking and partnership amongst institutions and providing the opportunity for joint research activities, curriculum development, training, and capacity building.
In the Himalayan region, food production and consumption are intertwined with culture, livelihood and the environment. Local food systems are critical in sustaining the communities in the region due to poor mobility and limited market access arising from topographic limitations. Studies have shown that the region faces food insecurity. Further, the difficult mountainous terrain and poor access to basic amenities make the food system vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change. Research and development on agriculture and the entire food system in the region are often based on the mainstream knowledge which is often built upon experience from the plains. Thus, there is a need to develop the knowledge base on mountain food systems and develop curriculum in higher studies that is sensitive to the needs of the mountain food system.
Mountain Food Systems is one of the newest TWG of the HUC is set up to serve as a platform for collaborating on research, capacity building and training on food systems in the region.

Promoting sustainable mountain tourism for climate–resilient future and green circular economy
2024-06-11 - 2024-06-13 | Kohsar University Murree, Pakistan, Pakistan
About the writeshop
This policy writeshop brings together relevant stakeholders representing governments, private sectors, researchers, civil society organisations, and community members from Pakistan, China, and Nepal to brainstorm and formulate policy briefs. This activity builds on the 2023 stock take exercise on mountain tourism and climate change, (aligned with the UNFCCC’s 2023 Synthesis Report on GST and TPCC’s Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake 2023) conducted by in Nepal and Pakistan by ICIMOD.
ICIMOD is also collaborating with country–based partners in translating research findings on mountain tourism and climate change into information/documents relevant to decision–makers. In line with this, the writeshop will engage in a focused yet interactively designed consultation, discussion, and writing process to come up with relevant policy documents.
The policy writeshop will also focus on these key questions:

What is mountain tourism and what sensitivities does it carry to climate change?
What is green tourism and how does it respond to climate change impacts, the net carbon emissions and resilience building agenda? What policies can promote it?
What characterises the circular economy and what policy measures should be implemented to encourage its adoption?
What are the essential guidelines for promoting climate–resilient and low–carbon mountain tourism?

These questions were derived from a review of mountain tourism in the policy documents of the federal and regional governments of the HKH countries and Pakistan specifically, which highlighted a significant gap in areas related to mountain tourism and its interface with climate resilience, low carbon tourism and circular economy.

Objectives

Build the capacity of selected country representatives to develop concrete, policymaker–focused recommendations relevant to the national or sub–national contexts
Provide support to develop policy briefs highlighting policy, research, and knowledge gaps, as well as barriers and bottlenecks to promote mountain destination sites that are climate–resilient and low carbon in their footprint
Bring together academics, policymakers, and relevant stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, establish a common understanding around climate change and mountain tourism and circular mountain economies, and produce sector–specific, regional–specific, and destination–specific policy briefs
Build political awareness on the importance of sustainable mountain tourism that is green, inclusive, and climate–resilient and sensitize relevant stakeholders for effective policy brief design and their implementation.

Expected outcomes

Establishment and capacity building of the core team on green, inclusive, and climate–resilient mountain tourism
Provision of policy guidelines for different regions of Pakistan (Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, and Punjab Province) and Nepal – for sustainable mountain tourism. All regions are autonomous in policymaking and implementation.
Three region–specific, concise, and action–oriented policy briefs for Pakistan

Background
While tourism suffers from and contributes to climate change, accounting for 8–10% of global emissions. In HKH region, countries such as Pakistan and Nepal, are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, faces challenges with hazards and increased carbon emissions from its tourism, particularly in mountain regions. In Pakistan, despite government’s commitments to international agreements, tourism lacks priority in climate action plans. There is a huge gap in tourism planning and policy, and effective implementation mechanisms to make mountain tourism green, inclusive, and climate resilient. This calls for urgent action by key mountain tourism stakeholders at all levels of decision–making – regional, provincial, and national levels. Creating an enabling environment, especially through the provision of need based, contextualized and collaborative policy decisions is an important step in this direction.

Developing a road map for an Asian Highland Pastoralist Network and for a working group on rangelands
2024-09-01 - 2024-09-07 | Sichuan, China, China
About the event
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), under the aegis of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and Rangeland Management Intervention, is working with Lanzhou University and the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), to organise a series of activities in the rangeland and pastoral areas of China as part of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in 2026. Among them is the workshop on ‘Developing a road map to establish an Asian Highland Pastoralist Network for resilient pastoralism and sustainable rangeland management’ to be held in Sichuan from 1–7 September 2024. It will bring together academia, decision-makers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs related to pastoral development in Bhutan, Nepal, India, China, and Pakistan. This will also feature learnings from the recent technological innovations in China’s yak industry.

Objectives

To establish a HUC thematic working group on rangelands.
To develop a road map for an Asian Highland Pastoralist Network to be launched in IYRP 2026.
To promote regional exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices related to rangelands and pastoralism (involving pastoral cultures, rangeland management, yak herding, yak value chain development, etc.).

Expected outcomes

Formation of a HUC thematic working group by outlining its functional modality and work plan for the period of 2024-2026.
Drawing up of a road map for an Asian Highland Pastoralist Network by IYRP 2026.
Facilitation of capacity building and exposure of policymakers, scientists, and entrepreneurs from Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Pakistan on yak value chain development in China for advocacy and uptake in their respective countries.

Background
The rangelands make up 60 per cent of the 4.3 million square kilometres of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). They play a vital role in the livelihoods of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists; but unfortunately, many of them live in absolute poverty. Yak herding is one of the primary production systems that makes the best use of these rangelands. However, over the past decade, there has been a drastic decline in yak population across the HKH. This has been due to difficult and fragile terrains, impacts of climate change, and socio-economic drivers – all limiting the competitiveness of the yak systems. Besides, yak herders are a marginalised and neglected section with no concrete policy reaching out to them; nor are they targets of investment. And there is no dedicated institution to develop yak keeping as an industry. Moreover, these problems are not well-voiced at local, national, regional, and international forums. Groupings such as federations, associations, cooperatives, and networks are known to provide platforms for collective actions and negotiations. So, learning from some of the successful global forums such as the World Reindeer Herders, ICIMOD set up yak herders’ networks in Nepal and Bhutan, and discussions are under way to initiate the same in India and Pakistan. The aims of the networks are to: preserve, protect, and promote yak farming and yak genetic resources in the HKH; exchange knowledge and experience on yak value chains and relevant technologies across the HKH; address the common issues and challenges faced by the herding communities and represent them at the national, regional, and global platforms; provide voice and platform for yak farming communities for policy support, investments, and engagement with multiple stakeholders; and promote mutual understanding and friendship, as well as celebrate the rich pastoral culture and tradition among yak herding communities across the region. Moving forward, as we approach the year 2026, the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, we intend to incorporate additional dimensions into the yak networks, including forging a community of practitioners dedicated to advancing the cause of rangeland- and pastoralism-based enterprises in the Himalaya. We also expect the proposed an umbrella organisation of the Asian Highland Pastoralist Network to be formed from the HKH yak networks, HKH rangeland societies, and HKH pastoralist entrepreneurs’ networks. This larger network will be a platform to exchange ideas, knowledge, and technologies, and will also help in product development, standard setting, branding, and aggregation of resources and products. At the same time, Lanzhou University, an active member of HUC, along with ICIMOD, is planning for a thematic working group meeting on the rangelands in China. The spotlight of the meeting will be on the pastoral regions of Hongyuan country in north-west Sichuan province. The region has developed robust pastoral/rangeland economy that has successfully integrated into the globalised world. These areas have extensive experience in managing and restoring rangelands by leveraging a blend of traditional knowledge and modern technology.

Meeting of ICIMOD-HUC Joint Task Force on HUC Management Structure and Secretariat Hosting Arrangements
2024-09-08 - 2024-09-11 | Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal
About the event
The Meeting in Kathmandu on 8-11 September is the only in-person meeting of the Joint Task Force (JTF), aiming to produce the first draft of the four documents as key JTF deliverables, to be reviewed by the HUC Steering Committee in its second (e)-Meeting in 19-20 September.

Objectives

Discuss and draft four documents as the deliverables of the JTF
Interact with ICIMOD’s senior management and professionals to evaluate the feasibility of collaboration
Interact with HUC’s key stakeholders in Nepal to understand members’ needs and expectations and gauge resource mobilizing potential in the country

Expected outcomes

The first draft of four documents, to be submitted to the HUC Steering Committee for review at its e-meeting, 19 September 2024.
Understanding of the potential for and practicalities of collaboration between HUC and ICIMOD
Preliminary assessment of the potential for resource mobilization in one of the Hindu Kush Himalayan countries, Nepal

Expected participants
On-site participants are the six JTF members, including the two Co-Chairs, and the HUC Secretariat Lead, plus the Chairperson of the HUC Steering Committee (ICIMOD DG, for Opening and possibly Closing). On-line participants are invited speakers from global partners of the HUC.

Mr. Shekhar Ghimire, Director of Administration, Finance and Operations, ICIMOD, Co-Chair
Professor Dr. Rosalind Cornforth, Director, The Walker Institute, University of Reading, Steering Committee Member, Associate Members – North America/Europe, Co-Chair
Ms. Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD, Member
Professor Dr. Attaullah Shah, Vice Chancellor, Karakoram International University, Pakistan, Member
Dr. Wang Wenling, Assistant Professor, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, China, Co-Lead of Water Thematic Working Group, Member
Dr. Jakob F. Steiner, University of Graz, Austria, Co-Lead of High Mountain Data Crosscutting Work Group, Member
Dr Chi H Truong (Shachi), HUC Secretariat Lead
Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, HUC Steering Committee Chairperson

Selective guests from HUC members and fellows in Nepal will be invited to a roundtable discussion, followed by a Reception Dinner.

Background
The ICIMOD HUC Joint Task Force on HUC’s Management Structure and Secretariat’s Hosting Arrangements (JTF) was established following one of the key decisions made by the HUC Steering Committee at its meeting on 18 April 2024 in Kathmandu. The purpose of the JTF is to define what autonomy means for the Himalayan University Consortium in the context when its Secretariat is hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and operationalize autonomy by several measures as follows:

a detailed guideline that will include measures for establishing an autonomous human resource and financial management system, a separate bank account, and a separate working space for the HUC, based on the ICIMOD’s existing management framework;
a roadmap for HUC’s transitions toward being an autonomous entity;
a draft of an institutional agreement between ICIMOD and the HUC regarding hosting arrangements of the HUC Secretariat;
an outline for HUC resource mobilization with a specific timeline.

About the organisers
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development hosts the Meeting, facilitated by the HUC Secretariat.

PROPOSED AGENDA

Himalayan University Consortium Steering Committee Second Meeting of 2024
2024-09-19 | Online
Background
The Steering Committee is the Himalayan University Consortium’s (HUC) highest governing body. The committee’s meetings set the course of action for the consortium for the calendar year and track the progress of the implementation of HUC Strategy 2018–2025.
The second meeting of HUC SC for 2024, convened on an exceptional basis, is critical for an update of the progress made by the ICIMOD-HUC Joint Task Force (JTF) on HUC’s Management Structure and Secretariat’s Hosting Arrangements. SC will review and comment on the Working Draft of the HUC Transition Roadmap drafted by the JTF.
In addition to important decisions to be made regarding the governance of the Consortium (amendments to the Bylaws 2018), the implementation of the transition to autonomy (2025-2026), and resource mobilization during the transition period, the SC will review the candidacy of nominations from Bangladesh (2) and Pakistan (1) and make recommendation for incoming SC Members representing Bangladesh and Pakistan (one each), starting in January 2025.

Objectives

HUC Steering Committee members will review and provide comments and input on the Working Draft of the HUC’s Transition Roadmap Position Paper, prepared by the ICIMOD-HUC Joint Task Force on HUC’s Management Structure and Secretariat’s Hosting Arrangements.
SCM will discuss the implementation of the Transition Roadmap and assign specific roles to SCMs:

A member of the selection panel for recruitment of HUC Secretariat staff;
Lead of governance consolidation group: consolidate membership, draft amendment to Bylaws 2018, HUC Strategy 2018-2025 review and stakeholder consultation process for post-transition Strategy (2028 onward);
Lead of resource mobilisation group;
Lead of communication strategy group, including review of HUC website and portal.

SCM will discuss members’ business items:

Consolidation of SC governance by selecting upcoming SC Members representing Bangladesh and Pakistan, starting January 2025
Maintenance of momentum and boosting membership quality among country-based hubs in Nepal, Pakistan, and China and refreshing membership in India and amongst associate members in Europe/North America and Asia Pacific.

SCM will discuss scheduling of quarterly e-meetings of SC and schedule of key activities in 2025.
