‘Himalaya Calling’: Dean of St Petersburg School of Social Sciences Speaks at Global Summit at UPES
Alexander Sorokin, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at HSE University–St Petersburg, was a key speaker at the Himalaya Calling global summit at UPES University in India.
The event, which was timed to coincide with Himalayas Day, took place on September 9–11 at UPES, a partner of HSE University. More than 20 summit sessions brought together over 100 researchers from various countries, representatives of NPOs, government agencies, and indigenous Indian communities to discuss sustainable development in the Himalayan region.
Alexander Sorokin presented the report 'Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Russian Altai and Indian Himalayas: Framework and Opportunities for Cross-Continental Studies of Climate Resilience in High-Altitude Communities.'
The presentation was based on the results of field research in the high mountains of Altai and three expeditions to the Indian Himalayas: the Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir state (2024), the Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh state (2024), and Ladakh state (2025).
Alexander Sorokin
Dean of the School of Social Sciences
The social aspects of climate change in vulnerable mountain and arctic regions are of great practical importance and academic novelty, as at the moment, there are no common methodologies for assessing them. We discussed the results of the comparative analysis of Russian and Indian regions with experts who are actively involved in this topic. It is a great opportunity to hear different opinions: from researchers and politicians to indigenous people and activists. I believe that such discussions are extremely useful for planning further research and developing strong interdisciplinary contacts and partnerships.
In the framework of the UPES summit, the parties signed an agreement to implement a project of the mirror laboratory 'Regional and Inter-Regional Associations in Norm-Building and Norm-Control in the Area of Environmental Regulation in Russia and India.' The joint initiative is implemented by the Centre for Comparative Governance Studies of the St Petersburg School of Social Sciences and the School of Liberal Studies and Media at UPES.
'UPES University is young and dynamically developing, as evidenced by domestic and international rankings. We are starting a mirror laboratory project in environmental regulation in Russia and India. This is the first HSE mirror laboratory project in partnership with an Indian university and the third mirror laboratory at our faculty. In addition to our common interests in sustainable development, we and our colleagues from UPES university share interests in urban studies and psychological behaviour,' commented the dean of the School of Social Sciences.
Himalaya Calling is a global platform for dialogue between researchers, politicians, experts, and communities about sustainable development in the Himalayan region. The summit focuses on regional innovations and practical solutions and contributes to the promotion of the agenda of sustainable development in vulnerable mountain ecosystems, the development of interdisciplinary exchange, strategies of adaptation to climate change, livelihood enhancement, and risk management.
