IYGP 2025 official launch side event - panel discussion - Towards regional solutions: glacial melt, water challenges, and science diplomacy in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Background

In December 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to declare 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, accompanied by the proclamation of the 21st of March of each year as the World Day for Glaciers, starting in 2025. This initiative seeks to raise global awareness of the critical role of glaciers, snow, and ice in the climate system and the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the impending changes in the Earth’s cryosphere.

IYGP2025 Task Force 2, including UN ESCAP and ICIMOD, co-organised the IYGP 2025 side event Panel on Glaciers at the crossroads: Climate challenges and responses on January 21, 2025. Following that first panel discussion, this second event aims to build on the insights gained from the first event and focus on developing actionable regional solutions. The first event introduced the critical challenges of glacial melt in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. It highlighted the dire impacts of climate change on the HKH’s cryosphere and the subsequent effects on water security, ecosystems, and regional stability. Recognising the importance of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025, the follow-up panel will delve deeper into strategies for fostering regional cooperation and leveraging science diplomacy to tackle these pressing issues effectively.

Objectives

• To deepen the understanding of the interconnectedness of the cryosphere, water security, and regional stability.
• To explore innovative strategies for regional cooperation and the role of science diplomacy in transboundary water management.
• To propose actionable strategies and projects that can be initiated or planned in the short to medium term to address the challenges identified.

Expected outcomes

• Develop a clearer understanding of the mechanisms driving glacial melt and their impacts.
• Identify practical and strategic solutions for regional cooperation.
• Strengthen frameworks for science diplomacy and collaborative action in the HKH region.

Agenda

Webinar introduction: Ms. Yumiko Asayama, Chief Manager, APWF Secretariat c/o Japan Water Forum

Opening remarks: Dr. Shahbaz Khan, APWF Vice Governing Council Chair c/o Director of the UNESCO Office in Beijing and UNESCO Representative to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea

Remarks: Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD

Keynote Presentation (10 mins): Dr. Qianggong Zhang, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

Panel Discussion (Including Q&A) (60 mins)
Panelists:

• Ms. Bushra Nishat, Environmental Specialist, Bangladesh – World Bank
• Dr. Anamika Barua, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, India
• Prof. A. P. Dimri, Director, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism
• Dr. Muhammad Arif Goheer, Executive Director, Global Climate-Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), Pakistan
• Dr. Sanjay Srivastava, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction, ESCAP

Links:

https://www.waterforum.jp/en/genre-news/info/

https://www.waterforum.jp/en/news/23010/

Panel on “Towards Regional Solutions: Glacial Melt, Water Challenges, and Science Diplomacy in the Hindu Kush Himalaya”