IRCI held an online kickoff meeting for its project ‘Research on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region’ on 3 April 2025. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the project’s background, objectives and goals, and to provide an opportunity for cooperating researchers to share their initial ideas for the case studies to be developed into a detailed research plan to be implemented in FY 2025.

Following an open call for collaborators, three research teams were selected to conduct case studies in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan. Additionally, IRCI has been communicating with a group of researchers working in the Solomon Islands to seek a possibility of conducting a case study there. During the meeting, each team presented their case study plan, highlighting specific climate-induced challenges and issues related to ICH, and received productive feedback from other participants and resource persons. The meeting was also joined by observers from the Philippines, who have been interested in collaborating in this project.

As a preliminary step before initiating full-scale research activities involving case studies, the meeting facilitated productive communication for elaborating research plans by exchanging ideas and insights. Cooperating researchers are now finalizing their respective case study plans to commence research activities from May 2025 onwards.