KATHMANDU, Nepal: The President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Professor Bai Chunli and an eight-member delegation visited the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions.
The ICIMOD and CAS have been strategic partners for decades, working in the areas of scientific research and knowledge sharing for sustainable mountain development.
“CAS looks forward to strengthened collaboration with ICIMOD to address issues of common interest in the countries of the region,” said Professor Bai Chunli.
To mark the ongoing cooperation, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Third Pole Environment programme of the CAS and the ICIMOD that will help further scientific understanding of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayas and bolster cooperation among countries in the region.
The agreement outlined areas for cooperation, including cryosphere and atmospheric monitoring; high-altitude wetland and river systems; climate change and anthropogenic impacts; ecological monitoring and assessment; and policy outreach and the promotion of the Mountain Agenda in regional and global forums. The agreement was signed by Dr David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, and Prof. Tandong Yao, Co-Chair, of the Third Pole Environment.
The CAS, established in 1949 in Beijing, is the linchpin of China’s drive to explore and harness high technology and the natural sciences for the benefit of China and the world. Comprising a comprehensive research and development network, a merit-based academic society, and a system of higher education, CAS brings together scientists and engineers from China and around the world to address both theoretical and applied problems using world-class scientific and management approaches.
The Third Pole Environment programme is a flagship programme of CAS co-initiated by UNESCO-UNEP-SCOPE in 2011. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is ICIMOD’s nodal partner organization in China, and represents China, one of ICIMOD’s regional member countries, on ICIMOD’s Board of Governors.
