The Governing Council members of Future Earth South Asia met via Zoom video call for the 2nd Governing Council Meeting on 6 October, 2020, for a one-day event. The Meeting was chaired by Dr K Kasturirangan and attended by 29 participants, including delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as the Executive Director of Future Earth from Colorado, USA. The event included discussions on major updates, priority setting and a working plan for the program, in the form of perspectives from the Chair, the Director of Future Earth and Future Earth South Asia, from GC members and from Invited Guests. The invited guests for the second GC meeting included Dr. S. Ayyappan, Chancellor, Agricultural University, Imphal; Dr. H. Paramesh, Paediatric Pulmonologist and Visiting Professors, Divecha Centre for Climate Change; and Dr. R. Srinivasan, Lead, Water Quality Lab, Divecha Centre for Climate Change.

The main highlights of the discussion are as follows:

• Priority Setting: Food and nutrition security, water security, flood management, agrarian distress and circular rural economy, the nexus between water-energy-food, and air pollution were expressed as priorities for South Asia. Cross-cutting issues related to health and climate change were also expressed as priorities.
• Suggested Approaches for Regional Program/Science for People: Tapping into existing national and international networks, connecting science-policy-society, aligning research with policy, connecting micro and macro-level stakeholders, increasing role of social sciences, enhancing governance systems, and training journalist and non-scientists to better engage with science.
• Lessons from COVID-19: To learn from each other’s failures and successes with regards to the response to the pandemic.
• Integrating pan-Hindukush and Himalayan Region: Inclusion of pan-Hindukush and Himalayan region in the Future Earth Program.
• Next Plan of Action: Online meetings—Stakeholder engagement process, South Asia Webinars and Workshops—to achieve the above.

Further details can be found in the Meeting Report linked below.