On November 28, AMCLAN hosted a networking dinner at “Buki Boutique” in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. Approximately 40 participants attended, including representatives from Nepalese universities, meteorological and hydrological institutions, political and business circles, and NGOs, as well as researchers spanning multiple generations from Bangladesh and India. Four researchers from Kagawa University in Japan also participated. The event reaffirmed the importance of climate change adaptation research in Asia and facilitated an exchange of views on future research directions.

Prof. Deepak Aryal of Tribhuvan University delivered remarks as Vice Chancellor, reflecting on the history of collaborative research with Japan on climate change studies while expressing hopes for further advancing research. Prof. Toru Terao, convenor of ICEDS, representing AMCLAN, summarized the efforts from the formation to the development of the Core-to-Core project. He introduced plans for future initiatives, including an international collaborative field campaign to elucidate the impacts of climate change on the Asian monsoon under the framework of international joint research, and the implementation plan for Asian Monsoon Year-II, calling for continued cooperation. Dr. Dhiraj Pradhananga of Tribhuvan University, representing the Nepalese NGO Small Earth Nepal (SEN), shared achievements of SEN’s recent project experiences regarding diverse community adaptation challenges under climate change and pointed to specific directions for tasks AMCLAN should undertake.

The event then moved on to dinner, where lively discussions took place among the participants.