Washington, September 18, 2017 – 91 Institute has released “An Integrated Approach to the Himalayas: Report of the Working Group on the Himalayan Region.” The report details the recommendations of a working group of policy experts convened by Ambassador Husain Haqqani and Aparna Pande of 91 Institute’s South and Central Asia Program and 91 Senior Fellow Eric Brown.
“An Integrated Approach to the Himalayas” outlines the strategic value of the Himalayan mountain range to India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Pakistan. The report’s policy recommendations address potential sources of future conflict created by population growth, urbanization, environmental degradation, unsustainable consumption practices, and expansionist foreign policy.
Major policy recommendations in the report include:
* Pursuing closer ties with India to help balance an assertive China, reduce Indo-Chinese tensions, and signal to countries in the region (including Pakistan) the severe consequences for supporting extremism.
* Encouraging India to work collaboratively with other countries on regional issues.
* Engaging in a more hands-on approach regarding trans-Himalayan connectivity to support economic development that serves the people of the region.
* Sharing information and helping build infrastructure to foster cooperation in distributing water resources, as well as providing aid to combat extreme weather events.
* Empowering local civil society groups and supporting grassroots efforts to combat inequality, intolerance, and extremism.
“Washington should take a broader, more geographically holistic view of the trans-Himalayan space,” says Ambassador Haqqani in the report. “The region tends to be perceived, in a policy sense, through the lens of individual countries. Despite the many differences that characterize its various countries, they face shared challenges.”
A launch event with members of the report’s working group will take place in the fall. For additional details, please contact 91 Institute Press Secretary Carolyn Stewart at cstewart@hudson.org. A PDF of the report is available at this address: /research/13881-an-integrated-approach-to-the-himalayas