Second International Workshop Hymalayan Sub-regional Cooperation on Water Security

Trans-boundary collaboration over the issue of shared water is critical since water is scarce in most areas. In this backdrop,BIPSS hosted the Second International Workshop on “Himalayan Sub-regional Cooperation for Water Security” in Dhaka on January15-16, 2010 in collaboration with the Strategic Foresight Group, India. BIPSS President Major General Muniruzzaman (retd) and President of Strategic Foresight Group, India, Sundeep Waslekar addressed the inaugural session of the workshop. The workshop, attended by 25 experts from China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh, stressed that water has become a crisis issue for people of the subcontinent. It also underscored the need for securing equal interests of all basin countries, especially the lower river nations. The workshop concluded with a declaration named “Dhaka Declaration on Water Security” which recognised the critical significance for water security of the Himalayan River Basin and put forward a set of recommendations towards this end.