KATHMANDU, MARCH 17 Kathmandu University (KU) is set to host a retreat for the stakeholders of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) on March 18 and 19 in Kathmandu. The retreat aims to enhance coordination and communication among universities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. According to the organisers, the event will welcome over 70 international guests, including 30 Vice-Chancellors and leading academic figures from various higher education institutions, including Thailand, India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan. The event will also be attended by ambassadors and diplomats from ten countries. Participants will collaborate to establish a roadmap for the future and ensure the financial sustainability of HUC in a global, multilateral context. Academic leaders from institutions interested in joining the consortium will also participate in the event. Prof. Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Chancellor of The Energy and Resources Institute School of Advanced Studies, India, will deliver the keynote address during the program, while Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, former justice of the Supreme Court, will be the special guest. The participants will deliberate on the pressing issues of the HKH region over seven technical sessions, including HUC's financial sustainability, multilateral academic and research collaboration, global positioning of HUC, annual plan of activities, and initiating vice-chancellors' forum for regional cooperation. Discussions will focus on mutual collaboration in twelve thematic areas, including the Food-Energy-Water Nexus, Cryosphere and Society, Disaster Risk, Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality, Mountain Agriculture, and the Green Economy, among others. Kathmandu University believes that the themes to be discussed during the retreat will address the key challenges facing our region over the next several decades even as it fosters horizontal knowledge partnerships across the developing world. The event will conclude with the signing of the 'Kathmandu Declaration' on the final day. Established in 2007, HUC is a consortium of 107 member universities from the HKH region. Initially hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, it was transferred to Kathmandu University in December of last year.