Kavre- Kathmandu University (KU) is set to host a retreat for the stakeholders of the Himalayan
University Consortium (HUC) on March 18 and 19 in Kathmandu. The retreat aims to
enhance coordination and communication among universities in the Hindu Kush
Himalaya (HKH) region.
The event will welcome over 70 international guests, including 30 Vice-Chancellors and
leading academic figures from various higher education institutions, including Thailand,
India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan. The event will also be attended by
ambassadors and diplomats from ten countries.
Participants will collaborate to establish a roadmap for the future and ensure the
financial sustainability of HUC in a global, multilateral context. Academic leaders from
institutions interested in joining the consortium will also participate in the event.
Prof. Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute School of
Advanced Studies, India, will deliver the keynote address during the program, while Dr.
Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, former justice of the Supreme Court, will be the special guest.
The participants will deliberate on the pressing issues of the HKH region over seven
technical sessions, including HUC’s financial sustainability, multilateral academic and
research collaboration, global positioning of HUC, annual plan of activities, and initiating
vice-chancellors’ forum for regional cooperation.
Discussions will focus on mutual collaboration in twelve thematic areas, including the
Food-Energy-Water Nexus, Cryosphere and Society, Disaster Risk, Traditional and
Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality, Mountain
Agriculture, and the Green Economy, among others.
Kathmandu University believes that the themes to be discussed during the retreat will
address the key challenges facing our region over the next several decades even as it
fosters horizontal knowledge partnerships across the developing world.
The event will conclude with the signing of the “Kathmandu Declaration” on the final
day.
Established in 2007, HUC is a consortium of 107 member universities from the HKH
region. Initially hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development, it was transferred to Kathmandu University in December of last year.
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