The British Council and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) are partnering in the organisation of a regional ‘Earth Debate’ in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan countries, as part of a series of related debates held by the British Council in the UK from January to March 2012. Representatives of ICIMOD, other development organisations, the private sector, youth, and media will convene at ICIMOD Headquarters to debate on the theme ‘Ecosystem economics – can we put a price on nature?’. Audiences in separate venues in Bangladesh, China, and India will attend the event via Skype. The virtual format will allow interaction opportunities among the participants in the four countries.

The event is organised in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio+20, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012.

Team Leader

Daan Boom, IKM Programme Manager, ICIMOD

Emcee and Discussion Moderator

Event Managers

British Council Focal Point