E-discussion on Sustainable Mountain Development in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region

We would like to invite our learned and esteemed partners to actively participate in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya regional e-discussion on Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD), scheduled from 4th till 24th April 2011. The e-discussion is a preliminary brainstorming session for preparing the Hindu Kush-Himalayan status report on challenges and opportunities faced by the region in promoting sustainable mountain development (SMD), considering the development initiatives taken and their role in improving the human, social and natural dimensions of SMD. The discussion aims in capturing the understandings evolved over last twenty years since the first UNCED held in Rio in 1992 which resulted in the adoption of Agenda 21 and in which a Chapter on Mountain (13) was also included . Syntheses of this e-discussion will eventually be part of HKH regional assessment report on the policies, plans, programmes and actions taken by GOs, NGOs, and others to realize SMD by implementing the Agenda 21, especially Chapter 13.

The intended target audience of the E-discussion in the HKH regional Rio+20 Assessment are: policy and decision makers at the international and national level, including multilateral and bilateral development agencies, national governments, private sector, and local and regional administrations. The report is further meant to address least developed mountain countries, regions and their civil society organisations including international and national NGOs and foundations; private as well as public sector enterprises, including transnational corporations; academic institutions; scientists; and researcher, scholars and academia.

The e-discussion structured as below provides enough rooms to inform, aware, report, discuss and explore information, understandings, issues, challenges, opportunities and seeks strategic forward with regard to SMD in the region.

· Pre-discussion: A short overview (with spatial/quantitative/trend data where possible)

· Week 1: Understanding different mountain systems and their contribution to providing goods and services

· Week 2: Issues, challenges and opportunities

· Week 3: How Mountain systems can provide strategic way forward for the Rio+20 Agenda?’

Further details is available on the web at http://www.icimod.org/?q=3193 .

Please click here: http://www.icimod.org/?opg=1809&view=JOIN to join the e-discussion. Please do not hesitate to write to tmahat@icimod.org in case you have any difficulty in joining the e-discussion or need more information.

E-discussion Team
Overall Coordinator: Dr. Madhav Karki, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD. Email: mkarki@icimod.org
Moderator: Dr Sudhirendar Sharma, Ecological Society, New Delhi. Email: sudhirendarsharma@gmail.com
E-discussion Administrator: Mr Tek Jung Mahat, APMN Node Manager, ICIMOD. Email: tmahat@icimod.org