The Second Inter-Polar Conference 2025 held successfully
The UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education and the UArctic Law Thematic Network collaborated with Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI) to successfully host the Second Inter-Polar Conference, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from September 3 to 5, 2025.
The conference brought together nearly 100 researchers, policy experts, young scholars, and Indigenous voices from the Arctic and the Third Pole Hindu Kush Himalaya. The conference provided a vital platform for collaboration between regions central to the global cryosphere.
The special theme of the Conference – Cryosphere, People, and Climate Change – reflects the objectives of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) 2025, which aims at taking immediate action towards preserving the cryosphere for building a resilient future for all. Discussions highlighted the urgency of addressing the rapid loss of glaciers and snow, rising temperatures, and worsening water insecurity—issues with profound consequences for ecosystems and communities worldwide. Speakers emphasized that the cryosphere is not only a critical environmental system but also a foundation for human resilience. Indigenous voices from both regions played a central role in spotlighting the lived experiences of climate impacts and sharing traditional knowledge that can help shape global solutions.
The program combined keynote addresses, interactive workshops, and a photo exhibition portraying life and landscapes in polar and high-mountain regions. Participants agreed that the conference marked a milestone in cryosphere diplomacy by strengthening collaboration between two of the planet’s most climate-sensitive regions. By laying the groundwork for joint strategies, knowledge-sharing, and mutual understanding, the Kathmandu conference underscored that protecting the cryosphere is essential to building a sustainable future in the face of accelerating climate change.