The International Geodynamics Project focussed attention on processes within the earth responsible for the movement of the lithospheric blocks. At any one time, strong tectonic activity appears limited to a few mobile belts. Most of the present-day seismic activity is confined tu the Circum-Pacific belt, the Alpide belt and the mid-oceanic ridges. These belts include oceanic and continental rift systems, the island ares and young folded mountains. Continent to continent collision of the Eurasian and the Indian plates is generally believed to be responsible for the origin of the Himalaya, the tectonics of this region and the neighbouring south and central Asia. To focus attention on geodynamic problems in this relatively much less known Alpine-Himalayan region bounded by Iran in the West and Burma in the East, the Inter-Union Commission on Geodynamics formed aseparate Working Group 3b under the Chairmanship of Hari Narain. Later, in 1975, this Working Group 3b on Geodynamics of the Alpine-Himalayan region, East was given independant status and re-numbered as Working Group 6. The first meeting of the Working Group was convened at the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad in March 1973 where a number of general and specific recommendations were made. The general recommendations included early publication of geological reports and maps for wider circulation, invitations to countries which included the Himalayan chain of mountains to participate in the project and the programme of the Working Group 3b, use of ERTS imagery and aerial photographs for mapping of large- and small-scale geological features. It was recommended that data obtained and interpretation carried out in marine research be properly integrated and correlated with the data obtained on the continental areas of the Himalayan belt. It was further recommended that field colloquia be held in different parts of the region to study and compare the critical areas and stimulate exchange of information and ideas. Considering the great geographic extent of the wider Himalayan belt and the variable degree of precision of information on its different sectors, specific recommendations included multidisciplinary studies along critical zones and in all, ten geotraverses, beginning in the Zagros thrust zone in the West, to the Arakan Yoma in the East, were identified. Additionally, investigations using specific methods were recommended.