On 27 March, Kyoto University's Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) signed an academic exchange agreement in India with the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IESD), Banaras Hindu University (BHU). KU and BHU had been collaborating with each other in research since the cities of Kyoto and Varanasi agreed last August to work toward a "Partner City Affiliation Agreement". For the signing of the pact, a four-member delegation from GSGES -- consisting of Dean Shigeo Fujii, Professor Rajib Shaw, Program-Specific Researcher Koichi Shiwaku, and Ranit Chatterjee, a research student -- visited the Indian city from 26 through 28 March.
On the 26th, the delegation met with BHU Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, who assured the visitors of his university's full support for the GSGES-IESD partnership. The delegates then presented their host with a report on climate change and disaster resilience of Varanasi City, a collaborative project they had conducted with the local government.
On the following day, the GSGES researchers visited the Varanasi City Office to convey their gratitude to Mayor Ram Gopal Mohaley for his city's assistance with the climate study, and were promised continued support in return. The delegation then attended a meeting on the Kyoto-Varanasi partnership, before signing the exchange agreement with the IESD. Later, Professor Shaw summarized the results of the climate study for the meeting participants, who included -- in addition to IESD Director Akhilesh Raghubanshi, Varanasi Mayor Mohaley, and local members of the Steering Committee on the Kyoto-Varanasi Partner City Agreement -- representatives of India's Ministries of External Affairs and Urban Development, and the Japanese Embassy in India, indicating a high level of interest in the GSGES-IESD partnership.
BHU Vice-Chancellor Tripathi, middle, with GSGES delegates
Meeting with Varanasi Mayor Mohaley, left
Signing of the GSGES-IESD exchange agreement
