Keynote Speaker

Dr. Arun Bhakta Shrestha

Brief Bio Dr. Arun Bhakta Shrestha is a Senior Climate Change Specialist and Programme Manager for the Regional River Basins and Cryosphere programme at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu. He holds a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of New Hampshire in the USA, as well as a Master’s degree in Hydraulic Engineering from Minsk, former USSR. Prior to joining ICIMOD, Dr. Shrestha worked for the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Nepal. His areas of expertise include climate change, glaciers and glacial hazards, glacial lake risk mitigation, atmospheric environment, and regional cooperation. Dr. Shrestha is a member of the editorial panel for Advances in Climate Change Research (Elsevier) and Review Editor of Cryosphere Sciences (Frontiers in Earth Sciences). He is also one of the editors of the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment and a Coordinating Lead Author for the Chapter on climate change in the Assessment.

In his keynote, Dr. Shrestha will address the impacts of climate change on the Hindu Kush Himalaya region and the need for adaptation and resilience building.