During Feburary 5-6, 2015, the first Himalaya-Third Pole Circle Meeting was held in Thimbu, Bhutan. It gathered over 50 participants, including Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, President of Iceland, Tshering Tobgay,Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, secretary of National Environment Commission in the Royal Government of Bhutan, and scientists, program managers and other policy makers in the Third Pole region.
The concept of Himalaya-Third Pole circle was jointly proposed by the President of Iceland and TPE chair YAO Tandong during the Arctic Circle meeting in 2013. It intended to serve as a platform for dialogues between scientists and policy makers focusing on this region.
Prof. MA Yaoming, ITP deputy director and Dr. WANG Weicai of the TPE program office were invited to the meeting. Prof. Ma introduced the TPE program during the meeting, arousing wide attention among attendees. The ensuing discussions focused on political challenges confronted by the Third Pole region in adapting to climate changes, and potential role the Himalaya-Third Pole Circle could play in addressing those challenges.
Prof. Ma also sat down with Dr. David Molden, Director-General of ICIMOD, during the meeting to discuss possible collaboration between TPE and ICIMOD in regional environment monitoring and assessment.