• HIMALAYA CALLING 2025
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  • About UPES
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    • HIMALAYA CALLING 2025
    • HIMALAYA CALLING 2024
    • About UPES
  • HIMALAYA CALLING 2025
  • HIMALAYA CALLING 2024
  • About UPES

The Himalayan region, a critical ecological and cultural frontier, faces unprecedented threats from climate change. Rapid glacial retreat, altered precipitation patterns, increasing frequency of landslides and floods, biodiversity loss, and water resource stress are transforming its landscapes and livelihoods. These impacts are magnified for vulnerable mountain communities-particularly indigenous peoples, women, and subsistence resource users, whose well-being is deeply tied to fragile ecosystems. In this context, sustainability is not merely an environmental imperative but a socio-economic and cultural necessity. This session seeks to critically appraise emerging climate policies targeting the Himalayan region, assessing their adequacy in addressing complex sustainability challenges. It will explore how climate governance spanning international commitments, national action plans, state-level policies, and community led adaptation strategies can be better aligned to the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of mountain ecosystems. The discussion will emphasize the need for evidence-based, inclusive, and adaptive policy frameworks that integrate scientific data, indigenous knowledge, and local governance systems. The session will also examine the intersection of policy with grassroots action, highlighting models where participatory governance, traditional ecological practices, and modern climate science converge. Special focus will be placed on policy approaches that not only mitigate risks but also build long-term resilience through sustainable resource management, livelihood diversification, and ecosystem restoration. Ultimately, this session aims to generate actionable recommendations for policymakers, civil society, and local communities, fostering a shared vision for climate-resilient, just, and sustainable development in the Himalayan region.

Objectives

  • Examine how legal frameworks can address climate vulnerabilities unique to the Himalayas.
  • Explore the role of courts, litigation, and environmental constitutionalism in promoting accountability.
  • Highlight the integration of indigenous legal systems and traditional knowledge in climate governance 
  • Discuss innovative legal tools like rights-of-nature laws and transboundary cooperation for mountain sustainability.

Who should Attend

  • Legal scholars, policymakers, and rights activists 
  • Environmental governance researchers
  • Students in law, public policy, and social development
  • Civil society leaders and human rights advocates
  • Practitioners working on justice, inclusion, and mountain livelihoods

Experts Guiding This Session:

Dr. Promode Kant

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Dr. Pradeep Mehta

 Former Member of the Indian Forest Service and Former Chairman, Expert Appraisal Committee (INFRA 2), MoEF&CC, Government of India.

Dr. Pradeep Mehta

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Dr. Pradeep Mehta

 State Program Lead – Action for Climate & Environment (ACE), UNDP. 

Niharika Kapoor

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

 Board Member, Indian Youth Climate Network.

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Prof. (Dr.) Shikha Dimri

Associate Dean (Research), School of Law, UPES.

Link for registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmbX12xAmOfigNM3Q7rk1l3KnBj4wBKmSngE2GQwG3wfagYg/viewform?usp=header

Contact- Session Chair

Dr. Anju Pandey, UPES, Dehradun.

Email: a.pandey@ddn.upes.ac.in

Date/Time: 10 September from  11:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Welcome Address: Shikha Dimri, Associate Dean (Research), School of Law, UPES. 

Dr. Promode Kant – IFS (Retd), Member, Core Advisory Group on Environment, Climate Change & Human Rights, NHRC; Former Chairman, EAC (Infrastructure 2), MoEF&CC. 

Dr. Pradeep Mehta – State Program Lead, Action for Climate & Environment (ACE), UNDP. 

Niharika Kapoor – Board Member, Indian Youth Climate Network (Co-Chair).

  • HIMALAYA CALLING 2025
  • About UPES