Almaty to host discussion on alpine cryosphere module

ALMATY. KAZINFORM On December 3, a meeting on the creation and implementation of cryosphere (glaciers, snow cover and permafrost) training modules in the universities of the Central Asian region is to be held in Almaty with the participation of representatives of universities and institutes of Central Asia, experts and partners, as well as with the involvement of young people.

The Central Asian region is extremely vulnerable to climate change. In this regard, the glaciers of the region play a crucial role in meeting the need for water resources in the arid continental climate conditions. The need for a meeting is due to the rather acute necessity for training qualified personnel and increasing the educational potential of universities in the field of cryosphere in Central Asia, the official website of the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office reads.

To solve the problem that has arisen over the past decades, UNESCO and partners propose creating a training module on the cryosphere at the Master's level. Based on the results of this meeting, UNESCO suggest to identify partner institutions among universities and research institutes in the countries of Central Asia with the subsequent creation of a UNESCO Chair and a network of the UNITWIN programme.

In parallel, a Coordination Meeting of the U-Inspire Central Asia Disaster Risk Reduction Youth Network (DACRYN) will be held. This network, created by UNESCO in March 2019, contributes to various disaster risk reduction initiatives implemented through the youth. Network participants will discuss the areas of competence of the network, the work plan for 2020, as well as possible project proposals.