HUC-HKH

HUC Academy 2017 - Disaster Risk and Water Management
2017-07-02 - 2017-07-12 | ICIMOD Headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal
Introduction
South Asia is home to about 21 percent of the global population, but has only about eight percent of the world’s annual renewable water resources. Population growth and urbanization are major drivers of change and increasing water stress in the region. About one billion people live in the three large transboundary basins in the region, the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. These rivers that emanate from the Greater Himalaya are shared across borders between Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Climate change studies increasingly suggest that the effects of glacial melt, temperature variations, and erratic monsoon patterns will reduce the availability of water in the region and lead to a greater frequency of floods and droughts. Despite the frequency and transboundary impacts of these extreme events, cooperation between countries remains limited. Low per capita water availability, coupled with a very high relative level of water use, makes South Asia one of the most hydrologically vulnerable regions of the world. Conflicting demands on these international waters, increasing water demand, significant inter- and intra-annual hydrologic variability, weak water institutions, and a low level of transboundary cooperation, are the key water resources management challenges of the region. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) has one of the largest bodies of ice outside the polar ice caps, covering an area of more than 60,000 square kilometres. The glaciers, ice fields, and snow packs provide important intra- and inter-annual water storage facilities, and the mountains are often referred to as the “water towers” of Asia. They are the major source of surface water and groundwater during the dry season. They play a significant role in agriculture and food security, and also have the potential to play a vital role in energy security.

The HUC Academy
The HUC Academy is an annual intensive programme organized at ICIMOD or a member of the Consortium, providing opportunities for young researchers to engage in cross-disciplinary scholarship. It aims for a new generation of transformational leaders committed to mountain research, capable of producing consequential knowledge, innovate policies and environmentally responsible business practices to address HKH mountain challenges from transboundary perspectives. Its four highlighted features are:

mountain focus;
interdisciplinarity;
field-based research; and
leadership building

Objective
The first HUC Academy launched in July 2017 and focusing on Disaster Risk and Water Management aims to enhance scientific and applied knowledge on selected issues of water resource and water-related disaster management of the HKH.
Expected outcomes of the training are:

Improved knowledge of participants on the subject matters for research and training;
Course materials accessible online.

Mobilizing University Research for Tackling Water, Climate Change and Adaptation Challenges in Hindu Kush Himalayan Region
2016-10-24 - 2016-10-26 | Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi, India, India
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is the source of ten large Asian river systems and provides water, ecosystem services, and the basis for the livelihoods of more than 210 million people in the South Asia region. Five of the eight HKH countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan — share twenty major rivers emanating from the Greater Himalayas. The basins of these rivers provide water to 1.3 billion people. The river flow regimes, the supply of water and food and energy security in the region are under direct impact from changes in temperature, precipitation and glacier dynamics. Due to the transboundary interconnectedness in water resources and its high relevance in regional stability and sustainable and inclusive growth, regional cooperation is imperative in the management and development of water resources. Regional integration and cooperative transboundary water resource management requires increased accountability and transparency of governments, improved technology, infrastructure, market access, delivery of services, and enhanced social institutions. Among the latter, universities and research centres play a key role in generating, sharing and disseminating knowledge on water resources and provide evidence for effective intergovernmental integrated water resources management policies and practice. Universities and research centres in the region, however, have largely not been able to fulfil their important tasks. This is mostly due to the lack of resources and inadequate institutional and research capacity. Moreover, an information sharing mechanism and platform as well as substantive coordinated efforts in creating and conducting collaborative research and training between institutions are seriously lacking. Himalayan University Consortium (HUC, est. 2007) has its mandate in developing an effective, sustainable network of universities in the HKH, 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 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), one of HUC’s founding members and the current host of its secretariat, has recently made HUC its sixth regional programme, indicating a strong commitment to foster regional cooperation among research institutions. GBPNIHESD has been among the most active members of the consortium and a strategic implementing partner of ICIMOD.
The Purpose
The proposed International Conference titled “Mobilizing University Research for Tacking Water, Climate Change, and Adaptation Challenges in Hindu Kush Himalayan Region” aims to:

provide a forum for leading scholars in the HKH and beyond to present latest findings and discuss the current issues of the conference theme;
serve as a platform for HUC member university leaders to discuss potential collaborations in research, training, and policy interventions;
provide a venue for university leaders to meet with representatives from policy-making bodies and grant-making agencies for potential synergies in addressing the concerned issues.

Target Groups

leading environmental and social scientists in the HKH region and beyond who have been conducting research on the issues
high-level policy makers and senior practitioners working on water-related issues, policies and interventions
university leaders and research institute heads who make critical decisions on research and training directions on the issues
grant-makers, both government/public and international/inter- and on-governmental, whose work and decisions are relevant to the theme of the conference

Expected Outcomes

an upgrade of state-of-the-art scientific, inter- and multi-disciplinary knowledge on the concerned issues
lessons learned on what works in linking knowledge with policy and practice
discussions on the way forward in partnership building among HUC members for better collaboration in policy-oriented research and training
one or two pairs or groups of HUC members who are interested in proposal writing of the concerned topics are identified and formulated

Relevant News

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