A Panel Session at the Arctic Circle India Forum: Knowledge Exchange Platform between the Arctic and the Third Pole (HKH)

The UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education organized a special panel session titled "Inter-Polar Conference: A Knowledge Exchange Platform between the Arctic and the Third Pole (HKH)" at the Arctic Circle India Forum. The session was held in collaboration with the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) at the University of Lapland’s Arctic Centre and the Thematic Network on Arctic Law. The session offered insights into the key themes of the upcoming Second Inter-Polar Conference, scheduled for September 2025, which will focus on the interplay between the cryosphere, people, and climate change.

The Arctic Circle India Forum was co-hosted by the Arctic Circle and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and held in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Earth Sciences, and took place from May 3-4, 2025, at the Taj Palace in New Delhi. The event was themed “The Polar Order: The Arctic and Asia — Science, Geopolitics, Climate, Business," highlighted Asia's growing involvement in Arctic affairs amidst a surge in worldwide interest in the region. Topics included polar research, climate change, sustainable development, maritime collaboration, and the evolving geopolitical landscape. As India seeks to deepen its engagement in polar matters, the forum provided a vital platform for international discussions on cooperation, competition, and the future of the Arctic.

The panel session focused on the far-reaching consequences of cryospheric degradation in the Arctic and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) regions. Critical issues explored included carbon emissions, albedo loss, sea level rise, extreme weather events, and regional threats to water and food security, infrastructure, and Indigenous livelihoods. The discussion emphasized the urgent need for shared knowledge and collaborative efforts to strengthen resilience and adaptation strategies in both regions. Kamrul Hossain moderated the session, which brought together leading scholars and experts from the Arctic and HKH regions. These experts included Kanagavalli Suryanarayanan (UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Manish Tiwari (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research), Santosh Rauniyar (Ocean Policy Research Institute), Mohd Farooq Azam (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), and Raushan Tara Jaswal (Jindal Global Law School).

The panel presented a rich, interdisciplinary narrative that highlighted the profound interconnections between the Arctic and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)—two of the planet’s most ecologically fragile and geopolitically strategic regions. Kamrul Hossain emphasized the need for a comprehensive inter-polar framework to address the shared climate, ecological, and political challenges facing both regions. He emphasized the interconnected nature of polar developments, noting that environmental or political shifts in one region can have a significant impact on the other. This necessitates coordinated research, policy innovation, and global collaboration. Manish Tiwari then expanded on this idea, detailing the complex atmospheric linkages between the Arctic and South Asia. He showed how Arctic warming disrupts the Asian monsoon system and vice versa. Santosh Rauniyar emphasized the theme of climate security, arguing that cryospheric degradation poses a threat to both regional stability and human security through glacier retreat, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss. He advocated integrating environmental concerns into broader security and cooperation strategies.

Mohd Farooq Azam emphasized the infrastructural challenges of cryospheric research and stressed the importance of enhancing glacier monitoring in the HKH region. He identified data shortages, technological gaps, and institutional fragmentation as significant obstacles and emphasized the importance of increased international collaboration and the development of sustainable data-sharing mechanisms. Kanagavalli Suryanarayanan and Raushan Tara Jaswal added critical perspectives by introducing important epistemological and legal critiques. Suryanarayanan challenged the predominance of Western knowledge systems, advocating for an inclusive environmental governance approach that incorporates Indigenous and local knowledge. Jaswal used a TWAIL (Third World Approaches to International Law) framework to critique global governance asymmetries and advocate for reforms that would elevate the voices of the Global South in Arctic and HKH policymaking. Together, the insights from this session formed a compelling vision that calls for cross-regional solidarity, diverse knowledge systems, and inclusive governance to address the urgent, interconnected challenges facing the cryosphere.