Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum

23rd January, 2019 | Singapore

Ajay K Jha attended the MGSF on the invitation of the United Nations Environment. The MGSF was organized by Asia pacific Regional CSOs Mechanism in collaboration with the ESCAP, UN Env and the govt of Singapore. Ajay chaired a panel discussion on the Environmental Challenges and Sustainable innovations from the grassroots which had Neth Dano (Asia Director, ETC group), Sarojeni Rengam (Director, PAN-AP), Prem Singh Tharu (Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Thailand), Zakir Hossain (Krisoker Sor, Bangladesh), Oyunchimeg Myagmarjav (Director, Institute for Future, Mongolia) and Francis Kim Ugpi (AITUC, AP). Besides, Ajay K Jha also led the drafting team for the outcome document from the MGSF.

A brief report of the MGSF can be found here

State Consultation on Climate Change and SDGs

14th November, 2018 | Dehradun

PAIRVI in collaboration with MAUSAM, GATI Foundation and Forest Department, Uttarakhand Government organized a one day state consultation to discuss latest development in State Action Plan on Climate Change and Action Plan on Sustainable Development Goals.the Consultation was attended by more than 50 representatives from the CSOs, Government departments, research and academic institutions. Main speakers included Mr. Jairaj, PCCF, RajenderDobhal, Director, UCOST, Dr. P S Negi, Wadia Institute, DebashishSen, PSI and SoumyaDutta (MAUSAM).

Workshop on Participatory Environmental Governance through Citizen Monitoring and Actions

23-24 November 2018, New Delhi

The discussion began with the origin of Environmental laws in India which came into being after the Stockholm Conference in 1972. Dr. Moitra enlightened us with the history of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which came into being in 1974. With the help of A.C. Stern, who is considered as Father of Air Pollution Control Laws in India in 1980, with major amendments, brought the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act in India in 1981. After the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984 and instances of Chlorine Gas Leak in Sriram Chemicals, Delhi, which led to massive loss of lives, government realised that some powers need to be given to the states thus forming the State Pollution Control Board, but majority powers were still in the hands of CPCB. The key persons who were involved in the law making process were G D Aggarwal from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, Nilay Chaudhari who is a Harvard student who was a professor in Jadhavpur University and Dr. V V Swarajkar from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The Indian Standard Institute (ISI) was renamed as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) that was assigned the task of making all the standards and protocols for measurements.

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CSOs South Asia Forum on the SDGs

3rd October, Delhi

CSO Forum was organized to involve sub regional CSO participants (from Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives , Iran and India) in the sub regional Forum. More than 60 participants participated in the Forum updating the forum on the latest global, regional and national development and finalizing strategy for intervention in the sub regional Forum.

National Consultation on the Agenda 2030

16th September, Delhi

The National Consultation was organized in collaboration with MAUSAM, PAIRVI, CECOEDECON, TWN, ADA and WNTA, wherein more than 70 representatives from the CSOs participated reflecting on progress on the SDGs, outcomes of the HLPF 2018 and priorities for agenda 2030 in 2019. Many of the BCPH members also participated in the Consultation. 

South India Consultation on Climate, food and sustainable development; of false solutions and for meaningful actions

30th and 31st July, Bengaluru

The Consultation was organized in collaboration with the Environment Support Group (ESG) Bengaluru and ETC group. The consultation discussed global, national and sub national priorities and challenges in climate, food and agriculture and sustainability initiatives and understood that climate change and sustainable development are being used as tools to promote corporate interests and false slutions; which is making the situation worse for the people on the frontline of impacts, and how meaningful actions can be organized to resist false solutions and promote sustainability, equity and justice. More than 40 participants including CSOs, youth, CBOs, gender groups and academics participated in the Consultation.

High Level Political Forum (HLPF)

18 July 2018, New York

HLPF was held from 9th to 18th July at UN HQ at New York to take stock of the implementation of the SDGs under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council of the UN. This year 47 countries presented their Voluntary National Report (VNR). Approx 2000 representatives of the governments, CSOs and other stakeholders participated in the HLPF.

Fact Finding Visit to Tummalapalle Uranium mines area

12 -13 June 2018

A visit to the Tummalapalle Uranium mines tailing pond and villages around the mine Tummalapalle, revealed possibly very large scale radioactive material/ particles contamination of air and groundwater.  Unusually high no of residents, particularly children, are having serious skin "lesions", which could be skin cancer (need to be examined by an experienced medical professional). Hectares of banana plantations are wasted - could be also because of the large Sodium salt content in ground water, as UCIL is using a leaching process using high concentration of Sodium salts.  Dozens of goats & sheep dying, cows & buffaloes also died when drinking leaked-from-pipe discharges. The fact finding generated stirs and print as well as digital media reported on the findings.

SDGs and Social Justice

5th April, Patna

Kabeer ke Log, Patna University, A N Sinha Institute, co organized this consultation with MAUSAM on the occasion of jayanti of ShKarpoori Thakur. ShSharad Joshi, Ajay K Jha, and Din Bandhu Vats participated in this Consultation. ShShushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar speaking on the occasion said that Bihar Government has been consistent with its effort in promoting the interests of weaker sections, mahadalits and women through a variety of measures and remain committed to the cause of affirmative action and social justice.

Global Conference on Systemic Change,

16-18 April, Leuven, Belgium

Central Theme of the conference was “Towards Transforming our Relationship with Nature.’’ SoumyaDutta was one of the three participants from India. The Conference involved building deeper understanding on following current systemic crises: 1) looking at systemic crises through the lens of mainstream narratives. 2) Deepening our understanding of systemic dimensions of our relationship with nature and 3) deepening our understanding of systemic crises. SoumyaDutta actively participated as a speaker and facilitator in sessions including open space session on Planning Actions for the COP-24 in Katowice, Poland.