Regional Cooperation and Collaboration in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region has the largest reserve of frozen water outside of the two poles and is often referred to as the Third Pole. The rivers originating from this region flow through eight countries and irrigate one of the most extended food baskets of the world, support the diverse and rich biodiversity and provide water and an array of ecosystem services vital for the economy and well-being of the people living in the mountains and river basins downstream. The countries not only share the benefits from the ecosystem services but also various transboundary environmental impacts like disasters, pollution, biodiversity degradation, and climate change. However, regional cooperation is not a straightforward approach due to shifting geopolitical dynamics, an evolving political economy, and relatively lower state of awareness. In European mountains, countries have forgotten their past tensions and have cooperated keeping environment at the core. This plenary session will bring the institutions and individuals working on regional cooperation and collaboration in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the Alps and the Carpathians. With decades of experience in foster regional cooperation for the mountains of the European continent i.e. Alps and Carpathians, the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions have successfully garnished regional cooperation for the mountains and are undertaking significant programmes and plans to protect these global assets. The plenary session will focus on the issues and challenges of fostering regional cooperation in the HKH and getting responses from the European counterparts on negating these challenges.