Back to news
3 Jul 2015 | News

Two senior ICIMOD staff in Silk Road think tank

1 min Read

70% Complete

ICIMOD’s Director Programme Operations Dr Eklabya Sharma and Livelihoods Theme Leader Dr Golam Rasul have been named members of the Silk Road Economic Belt think tank. This is a leading think tank with globally recognized scientists in the areas of policy and strategic analysis.

The creation of the think tank follows the June 2014 international conference on ‘Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development of Silk Road Economic Belt’ organized by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in Beijing, China.

Among others, the IGSNRR conference had recommended the establishment of ‘The International Scientific Alliance of the Silk Road Economic Belt’, under which providing scientific think tank support for governments of the nations along the Silk Road was a major objective.

The idea of developing the ancient ‘Silk Road’ as new ‘Economic Belt’ was mooted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a speech in Kazakshstan in 2013. The fabled old Silk Road in the higher latitude runs through China, Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe, while the other longitudinal Silk Road connects the Mongolian north to northeast India and also connects north of central Asia to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The sea route connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia fall in the Silk Road Economic Belt. However, the old Silk Road gets most of the emphasis.

According to Dr Eklabya Sharma, the think tank should bring the modern-day paradigm to the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ development concept. “It should also provide ideas and means of connecting northern Silk Road Belt with southern Maritime route in terms of both environmental sustainability and economic prosperity,” he said.

Dr Eklabya Sharma said improving the livelihoods of the local people while taking care of the environmental safeguards in implementing development programmes in the Silk Road Economic Belt is crucial. At the Beijing conference, Dr Eklabya Sharma also emphasized the establishment of ‘Silk Road Economic Belt Information System’.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Contents

Continue exploring this topic

8 Jul 2021 News
MoU signed by Climate Analytics and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

On 7 July 2021 the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Climate Analytics have signed a Memorandum of ...

21 Sep 2016 Atmosphere Initiative
Building Nepal’s Air Quality Public Information System

Deteriorating air quality in Nepal and its adverse effects on health and daily activities of the public ...

South–South business partnerships towards energy-efficient and low-emission brick production in Pakistan

Business-to-business and government-level efforts between All Pakistan Brick Kiln Owners’ Association (APBKOA) and the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI) ...

18 Dec 2015 HKPL
Regional consultation on Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative

A regional consultation workshop on programme development for Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative jointly organised by the Wakhan Corridor Initiative and the ...

22 May 2019 Atmosphere Initiative
Knowledge brokering and policy engagement through the CCAC to address atmospheric pollution

The CCAC is the first global effort to treat pollutants as a collective challenge. Formed in 2012, it is a ...

8 Sep 2015 News
Communities prepare for floods

As part of its ongoing effort to help communities in the Koshi basin cope with yearly flash floods, ICIMOD’s Koshi ...

Findings and learnings from the WeACT project in the Upper Koshi Basin

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are one of the most serious natural hazards in mountain regions, including the Upper Koshi ...

9 Nov 2016 News
REDD+ Initiative and Partners Conduct Ecotourism Trail Mapping in and around Ludhi Khola Watershed of Gorkha, Nepal

Ecotourism has the potential to compliment Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) finance for landscape level conservation and ...