KATHMANDU, Dec 13: The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) has completed 25 years since its establishment. To commemorate the milestone, a three-day international conference on “Development, Environment, and Mountains” began on Friday in Lalitpur, featuring more than 70 research presentations, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Experts from across the world are discussing key economic and environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable development. With the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) recognised as one of the world’s most climate- and environment-vulnerable regions, the conference places particular emphasis on issues affecting mountain ecosystems and communities.
Conference sessions focus on a wide range of themes, including biodiversity finance, forest restoration, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods.
11 metric tons of garbage including 4 dead bodies collected fro...
SANDEE, a flagship network of ICIMOD, has over the past 25 years nurtured generations of researchers and policymakers across 10 South Asian and HKH countries. The event, titled “SANDEE at 25,” both celebrates the network’s journey and provides a platform for dialogue on the escalating environmental crises confronting the region.
“SANDEE has become a vibrant and indispensable community for this region,” ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho said in his welcome remarks. “This network has fundamentally transformed the way South Asia understands and responds to the links between poverty, development and environmental sustainability, laying a strong foundation for a sustainable future.”
On the opening day, Professor Partha Dasgupta, an economist at the University of Cambridge, delivered a keynote address on “Natural Capital and Sustainable Development.” He highlighted how SANDEE’s unique model has fostered cross-border collaboration and research that would otherwise have been difficult to achieve.
SANDEE has played a significant role in building human capital in the region, developing a network of more than 2,000 alumni who now serve as vice-chancellors, deans, government advisers and leading researchers. These alumni are contributing to evidence-based policymaking in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, ICIMOD said.
“This is an investment with extraordinarily high social returns,” said Dr Mani Nepal, SANDEE’s senior programme coordinator. “For 25 years, we have been equipping researchers with economic tools to analyse environmental problems. Today, this community forms the backbone of regional policymaking.”
He added that the network now provides essential institutional infrastructure to address the complex environmental and economic challenges of the next quarter century.
A commemorative volume titled “SANDEE at 25 – Advancing Environmental Economics Research and Education in South Asia” was also launched on the first day of the conference, documenting the network’s history and contributions.
-1765616104-1765618344.webp)
-1765616104.webp)