Kathmandu University (KU) has been appointed as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC), a multilateral group of universities from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
The Interim Committee has been mandated to oversee HUC’s tasks, including the adoption of the new charter and byelaws and renewal of memberships.
KU is represented by its Vice-Chancellor Prof. Achyut Wagle, who will serve as the chair of the Interim Executive Committee until a General Assembly, to be held within a year, elects a new committee, reads a statement issued by the KU.
The decision was taken during the two-day retreat of the HUC in Kathmandu last week.
Hosted by KU, the retreat convened 70 international guests, including 29 Vice-Chancellors of the HKH region, to establish a roadmap for the future and ensure the financial sustainability of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) in a global, multilateral context.
Participants from Thailand, India, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bhutan took part in the event.
Prof. Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute School of Advanced Studies, India, delivered the keynote address during the program.
Prof. Dhawan emphasized bridging the gap between scientific research and traditional wisdom to build climate-resilient communities, ensuring that indigenous knowledge systems are integrated into a transboundary roadmap for the Hindu Kush Himalaya, according to the statement.
"By enhancing academic collaboration, universities can reverse environmental degradation and protect our global biodiversity hotspots from the escalating threats of the Anthropocene," Prof. Dhawan said.
Former justice of the Supreme Court Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai served as the event's special guest.
He called for moving beyond parochial laws to align with global legal frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement.
“We must protect the vital ecosystems like the Shivalik and Karnali regions and ensure that ecosystem service budgets reach local communities, and transform environmental conservation from a legal promise into a sustainable reality for the entire Hindu Kush Himalaya,” Bhattarai said.
Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University, Prof. Achyut Wagle, highlighted that not only our ecology but the culture of our indigenous communities and the existing flora and fauna are under immense threat, the statement further reads.
"It is the urgent responsibility of university scholars to utilize data-driven inferences to bridge the gap between academic research and effective policy-making to safeguard the Hindu Kush Himalaya," said Professor Wagle.
The participants deliberated on the pressing issues of the HKH region across seven technical sessions, including HUC’s financial sustainability, multilateral academic and research collaboration, HUC's global positioning, and the initiation of a vice-chancellors’ forum for regional cooperation.
