Cryosphere and related hazards in High Mountain Asia in a changing climate

Registration and abstract form Organizers Scientific Committee

About the conference

Through the Cryosphere Initiative, we are collaborating with UNESCO, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), the Government of Kazakhstan, and the Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to organize the conference ‘Cryosphere and related hazards in High Mountain Asia in a changing climate.’

The international conference will bring together over 150 researchers, practitioners, policy and decision-makers, government representatives, youth, and development partners from Central Asia, South Asia and beyond, working in the cryosphere, disaster risk reduction, and climate sectors.

The conference aims to provide a platform to share knowledge, best practices, and ideas for the sustainable development of societies in High Mountain Asia (HMA) in the context of climate change. Discussions will focus on the climate-cryosphere-community nexus, contributing to the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 6, SDG 11, SDG 13. It will also contribute to  SDG 17 by leveraging regional platforms for collaboration and partnership.

This event will be built on presentations and discussions, highlighting research frontiers, research opportunities and gaps, scientific uncertainties, and policy impact on larger populations in HMA.

Expected outputs and outcomes

• Increased dialogue and understanding of the impacts of climate change on the cryosphere of High Mountain Asia
• Shared understanding of knowledge gaps and research priorities
• Opportunities for new partnerships and networks, especially between stakeholders from Central and South Asia
• Networking opportunities for students and early career researchers
• Policy brief and a report on the conference themes

Participants

The conference aims to host about 100-150 participants, including community representatives, government officials, academia, international institutions, development agencies, civil society organizations and youth, from the region and beyond.

Conference design

The conference will include presentations on the status of knowledge across the HMA region on the impacts of climate change on glaciers, snow, permafrost, glacial lakes, and related hazards, including GLOFs, avalanches, and thawing permafrost.

The conference will have breakout sessions on specific hazards to share management and adaptation practices/options from the HMA region for cross-learning purposes. The discussions, good practices, and learnings will be reported back to the plenary.

The conference will also consist of sessions to ideate how best to engage and support youths and early career researchers for further research in areas of climate-cryosphere-communities nexus, and how best to benefit from citizen science. The final day will focus on a science-policy dialogue on this topic and the ways forward.

Tentative agenda

Working languages: English, Russian

About the organizers

ICIMOD

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). We are based in Kathmandu, Nepal, and work in and for our eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. We work to improve the lives and livelihoods of men, women, and children of the HKH and protect mountain environments and cultures. The knowledge we create, and share helps the people of the HKH become more resilient, make the most of new opportunities, and prepare for change. Our work strengthens regional cooperation for conservation and sustainable mountain development.

AKAH

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s (AKAH) works to ensure that people live in safe, sustainable, and resilient habitats with the opportunity to thrive, whether in a remote mountain village, a town, or a densely populated urban centre. AKAH works with communities to help them prepare for and respond to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. AKAH also works to expand access to services and opportunity for people to improve their life. AKAH helps communities prepare for the worst; provides immediate relief after disaster strikes; and helps build back better – and greener – while planning for a better future. AKAH currently operates in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Pakistan, and India, and works with over 2,500 communities empowering them with data, world-class planning and best practices in disaster risk reduction and safe, sustainable housing and critical infrastructure to build a better future.

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was created in 1945, as one of specialized UN agencies. The UNESCO Almaty Office (established in 1994) works in four countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It works through and in cooperation with the National Commissions for UNESCO in each country and partner networks in its fields of competence. UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to peace and human development through Education, the Sciences, Culture and Communication.

CARGC

The Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre (CARGC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan was established under the auspices of UNESCO to address water resource challenges in Central Asian Region. It focuses on detecting global changes and their impacts on water stress in the region, and studies dynamics of natural processes in a zone of runoff formation. The centre contributes to UNESCO’S strategic programme objectives.

Scientific committee