Back to success stories

Building a member-led consortium

Strengthening thematic working groups as a modality for network sustainability

70% Complete

The thematic working groups (TWGs) of the Himalayan University Consortium have proven to deepen network sustainability. These working groups were initially set up through institutional grants but have over the years transformed into member-led, self-operating, and resource-sharing groups.

There are eight thematic working groups: Mountain Agriculture, Energy, Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience, Mountain Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Water, Trans-Himalayan Environmental Studies, Cryosphere and Society, and My Climate Risk.

In 2021, under the Cryosphere and Society working group, HUC built collaborations with the Royal University of Bhutan, Karakorum International University, Kashmir University, and the University of Bristol. The working groups emphasise partnership, inter- and trans-disciplinarity, capacity building, curriculum uptake, in-house synergies, and sustainability.

The success of this approach is reflected in the number of universities employing mountain-focused, HKH-specific curricula; in the numbers of regional collaborations using their own resources; the number GESI-embedded trainings by members; and the numbers of HUC fellows undertaking effective sustainable mountain development work.

Thematic working groups, initially set up through institutional grants, have transformed into member-led, self-operating, and resource-sharing groups

Other stories

Capacity building in using open-source software

Through trainings organised by our Cryosphere, Climate Services, and Himalayan University Consortium initiatives, we have introduced ...

Immense outstanding universal value within the HKH

Visionary leaders in 1972 established the World Heritage Convention through a General Conference of UNESCO where ...

South–south learning in participatory forest management

Nepal’s experiences with community forestry could help Myanmar address deforestation and forest degradation

Resonating a unified voice: the HKH Call to Action

Six urgent actions and detailed targets required to sustain mountain environments and improve livelihoods in the HKH

Solid waste management for sustainability

Making our cities more climate resilient In rapidly urbanizing cities of ...

From strength to strength

Supported by the International Development Research Centre, the Government of Sweden and our core donors, our ...

Climate data for all

As a one-stop data portal for the HKH region, our Regional Database System ...

Mountains in the global climate agenda

2021 was an important year for ambitious climate and conservation action. The UN Climate Change Conference ...