Small Steps to Road Safety - United Nations Information Centre for

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May 2013 VOL. X NO. 5

UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan

May 2013, Vol. 10, No. 5, Total pages: 24
Small Steps
to Road Safety
UNIC Moment 2
In The News 3
Interview 6
UNIC Album
16
Human Rights Watch
Roving Reporter
5
24
English
Hindi
10
13
UNIC MOMENT
Driving the message home
T
o mark Global Road Safety
Week as well the UN Decade
of Action for Road Safety, the
UN Information Centre (UNIC) and
the Automobile Association of Upper
India (AAUI) took the message of road
safety to those who are particularly
vulnerable and yet have it in them to
change the way people use roads –
nearly 3500 students in two
New Delhi schools.
UNIC and AAUI also released and
distributed copies of ABC of Road
Safety, a handy, illustrated primer,
designed for children.
“Each year, nearly 1.3 million people
die, and as many as 50 million are
injured, in road traffic accidents”, UNIC
Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman
said quoting UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon’s message for Global Road
Safety Week.
“Road traffic injuries also have other
impacts in addition to death, injury
and disability. You can imagine the
cost of healthcare and rehabilitation,
the financial pressure on families of the
victims and also the emotional strain,”
she added.
AAUI President T.K. Malhotra also
emphasized the need to inculcate a
culture of safe driving and safe use of
roads. “You have the power to change
way people use roads,” he said in his
address to the school children. If you
see someone breaking the rules, make
sure you point it out to them, even if it
is your parents!” he added. n
Photos: UNIC/R. Naik
The UN Information Centre and the Automobile Association of Upper India
released a booklet on road safety at the Ryan International School, Noida (above
and left) and Dr. Radhakrishnan International School (below), New Delhi.
2 |
May 2013
in the news
SG urges speedy action on health MDGs
for women and children
UNIC/R
. Naik
Speaking on 6 May at a special event
held by the United Nations Economic
and Social Council (ECOSOC) and
titled ‘Meeting the Challenges of the
Health MDGs and Beyond,’ Mr. Ban
told delegates that while much progress
in achieving the Goals has been made,
a great deal still remained to be done.
commitment, political will, and a
determination to focus efforts on where
they can have the biggest impact,” he
stated, adding that this was one reason
why he made improving maternal and
child health a priority of the MDG
agenda.
Photo:
T
he planet’s social and economic
inequalities must be addressed
if women and children are
to “survive and thrive,” SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon said, calling for
accelerated action on achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
ahead of the 2015 deadline.
“We know that investing in women’s
and children’s health yields high and
long-lasting returns – for individuals, for
families, for societies and for the future
we want.”
“We have the technology and knowhow to save and improve women’s and
children’s lives – and we need to join
our good ideas and efforts.” n
“Time is passing and we must urgently
accelerate our work. That takes
Migration can
spur growth
T
he United Nations Commission
on Population and Development
kicked off a five-day session on
22 April with a call for the international
community to seize upon the
opportunities for social and economic
growth presented by demographic
shifts resulting from global migration.
Given the growing numbers of
international migrants, Mr. Ban urged
the global community to pursue
“five key goals” in resolving what he
described as “a complex issue that
demands a comprehensive solution.”
In particular, he underscored the
need for safe, legal channels of
“Migration is often a hot-button issue,”
admitted Mr. Ban, who pointed to
the fact that smaller countries tend
to suffer when skilled people leave.
But, he noted, they also benefit
from remittances, while destination
countries benefit from needed labour
and economic growth. n
Photo: UNIC/S. Dhillon
“Migration is a fact of life in our
globalizing world.” Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon stressed.
Among major factors contributing
to these growing trends, the report
spotlighted changes in socio-economic
conditions, conflict, environmental
degradation, an increase in human
trafficking and the integration and
disintegration of countries.
migration; the alignment of migration
policies to the demands of the labour
market; addressing the problems of
those migrants without legal status;
promoting integration into host
societies; and facilitating so-called
return or circular migration that allows
migrants to return to their native
homes at the right time.
The global total of international
migrants has increased to 214 million
in 2010 from 155 million in 1990,
with the number of internal migrants
even larger as most move within their
countries rather than across national
borders, according to the SecretaryGeneral’s latest report on new trends in
migration.
May 2013 | 3
in the news
Government-private sector collaboration crucial
for clean energy
W
arning that the way the
world produces, shares
and uses energy is
unsustainable, Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has called on governments
and the private sector to collaborate in
providing a cleaner, low-carbon model
that benefits both people and the
planet.
“Energy demand is growing and the
global thermostat continues to rise,” he
told the fourth Clean Energy Ministerial
(CEM) meeting in New Delhi in a
video message on 17 April. “More
than 1.2 billion people need access to
electricity – for dignity and health, for
opportunity and prosperity. But we
cannot ask future generations to pay
the price.”
Know your
supply chains
better
“Businesses around the world are
waking up to the urgency of addressing
social, economic and environmental
challenges,” Mr. Ban said in remarks
to the UN Global Compact Board
luncheon, held in New York on 6 May.
4 |
May 2013
“Sustainable Energy for All and the
Clean Energy Ministerial have important
synergies,” he said. “Both promote
public-private collaboration. Both focus
on energy efficiency and clean energy.
Both call for urgent action. Let us work
together to bypass outmoded systems
and build the clean energy economies
of the future.” n
Mr. Ban, who chairs the Board, noted
that the Global Compact Leaders
Summit in September will unveil a
new global architecture for scaling up
corporate sustainability and aligning
business with UN priorities, in
particular the eight anti-poverty targets
known as the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) that the international
community hopes to reach by 2015,
and the post 2015-development agenda.
Photo: U
NIC
“It is time for all companies to police
their supply chains, not distance
themselves from them,” Mr. Ban urged.
“Consumers, too, need to be educated
about the social and environmental
impact of the products they buy,” he
added.
Each company that signs on with the
Compact agrees to embrace, support
and enact, within their sphere of
influence, a set of 10 principles in the
areas of human rights, labour standards,
the environment and anti-corruption. n
Photo: UNIC/S. Dhillon
I
n the wake of the deadly tragedy at a
garment factory in Bangladesh, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
challenged the United Nations Global
Compact to strengthen its engagement
in promoting safe and sustainable
employment and opportunity.
He cited the Sustainable Energy for All
Initiative that he launched in 2011 with
the aim of achieving three inter-linked
global targets by 2030: universal access
to modern energy services, the doubling
of energy efficiency, and the doubling
of the share of renewable energy in the
world’s energy mix.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Visit of the
Special
Rapporteur on
violence against
women
A
t the conclusion of her visit to
India, UN Special Rapporteur
on Violence Against Women
Rashida Manjoo addressed a press
conference chaired by Kiran MehraKerpelman, Director, UN Information
Centre for India and Bhutan.
The Special Rapporteur, who visited
India from 22 April to 1 May, urged
the Indian Government to address the
multiple and intersecting inequalities
and discrimination that women face.
Her comprehensive findings will be
discussed in the report that she will
present to the United Nations Human
Rights Council in June 2014.
“The denial of constitutional rights
in general, and the violation of the
rights of equality, dignity, bodily
integrity, life and access to justice
in particular, was a theme that was
common in many testimonies,” Ms.
Manjoo said.
Photo: UNIC/A. Narain
and prevention measures stems
from a Government’s inability and/
or unwillingness to acknowledge and
address the core structural causes of
violence against women,” said Ms.
Manjoo.
Violence against women and girls in
India manifests itself in numerous ways,
the Special Rapporteur said. These
include domestic violence, caste-based
discrimination, dowry-related deaths,
witch-hunting, sexual violence, conflictrelated sexual violence, and forced
marriages.
The Special Rapporteur noted that
the Indian Government had adopted
numerous progressive laws and that
policies were in place to address the
issue of violence against women. But
despite positive developments “the
unfortunate reality is that the rights
of many women in India continue
to be violated, with impunity as the
norm,” Ms. Manjoo said.
During her ten-day visit, the
independent expert met with
government authorities and civil
society in Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Tamil Nadu, among other regions.
For the full text of the Special
Rapporteur’s statement, please visit
www.unic.org.in. n
New laws against rape passed in India
in the wake of the fatal gang rape of a
female student in Delhi in December
2012 do not go far enough, the Special
Rapporteur said.
She added that while the legislative
reform was to be commended, it did
not fully reflect the recommendations
of a panel set up by the Government to
review laws on sex crimes.
“The opportunity to establish a
substantive and specific equality and
non-discrimination rights legislative
framework for women, to address de
facto inequality and discrimination, and
to protect and prevent against all forms
of violence against women, was lost,”
Ms. Manjoo said.
“My mandate has consistently voiced
the view that the failure in response
May 2013 | 5
UN-INDIA PLUS
‘Our contribution is very specialized but it is always
related to human activities
and well-being.’
W
hat is UNIDO’s mandate,
and how does this
specialized agency work
with government, business, industry
and other stakeholders to contribute
to sustainable industrial development?
UNIDO’s Regional Director for South
Asia Ayumi Fujino spoke to UNIC
Assistant Information Rineeta Naik
about these and various other issues.
Rineeta Naik: I wanted to
start with the role that UNIDO
plays globally. And how is it
contributing to the post-2015
development agenda?
Ayumi Fujino: Well, the post-2015
agenda has vast arrays of activities
and thematic issues. UNIDO is one of
the specialized agencies of the United
Nations, focusing on the industrial
development sector. We are trying to
see how to help make this economic
drive of the industrial sector more
effective and efficient, to contribute to
the global agenda. We believe firmly
that the industrial manufacturing sector
is the key to economic and social
development in general. Of course,
what we can contribute may be small
– the industrial, private and economic
sectors as well as the government are
the ones really holding the reins. But I
think the United Nations organizations
can serve as honest brokers and neutral
advisers to the government, to the
private sector, and to civil society. We
can bring up issues linked to the needs
of industrial development in various
sectors – health, education and other
UN priorities.
So while UNIDO’s mandate and scope
of work is very specialized, we are
always trying to find a niche where
we can contribute. As far as the UN
thematic areas are concerned, we
are involved in poverty alleviation
and sustainable development,
particularly through the improvement
of the environment and promotion of
sustainable use of energy.
As far as our mandate is concerned,
within the framework of industrial
development agenda, we have three
areas of focus. One is poverty alleviation
through promotion of productive
activities. And it doesn’t have to be a
factory, it doesn’t have to be a business.
Even at the community level we can see
how these activities can be promoted
sustainably in terms of creating wealth
and generating income and employment.
For example, we can do it through
technological transfer for food processing,
or a rural business development module,
and link these activities to the market
because we want to ensure that these
productive activities have market
potential. You might produce a lot of
things but if you cannot sell them, it is
really not viable. So this is how we see it
– poverty alleviation through productive
capacity building.
The second is trade. Trade capacity
building pertains to a country’s
industry – be it small or large – that
produces various products such as food
processing, automobiles, information
6 |
May 2013
Photo: UNIDO
UN-INDIA PLUS
technology, and appliances. These have
to be produced in accordance with
norms and standards otherwise they
cannot be sold in the global market
or even in the regional or national
markets. Some kind of certificate or
standardization is necessary. Each
country therefore needs a mechanism
by which it can certify that the products
are in shape in accordance with the
world standard and are certified as such.
I am not necessarily talking about big
markets such as the EU, the Japanese
market or the US market which has its
own trade barriers. All I am saying is
that if you really want to sell, say, a
food product, then it has to be safe and
hygienically produced in accordance
with standards. This is where UNIDO is
really strong – we can carry out training
and institutional capacity building for
government officials or institutions
or even private sector organizations
so that they can understand the gaps
and install an appropriate system
to control and monitor compliance
requirements. We also offer policy
advice to the government because it
is the government that takes the lead
in organizing and implementing the
necessary regulatory framework.
The third aspect, particularly in
the Indian context, is energy and
environment. UNIDO’s mandate is to
address the cause of climate change.
This involves helping reduce the
problems arising from the emission of
the greenhouse gases or any kind of
pollution so that in the end the impact
of climate change can be diminished.
This is how we see it. We also work
with the business sector, the industrial
sector and with the governments
of those countries to assist heavy
industries, Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs), in coping with the
challenges relating to the requirement
to “green” the industry. We can help
them identify the problems, review
the existing technological options
and work out what kind of strategic
policy provision can be formulated.
We can also transfer some lessons or
best practices globally. In the case of
India, of course, we cannot compare
the requirements of industry and
government in this regard with the
LDCs such as Bhutan or Afghanistan.
But we can bring in lessons from other
countries, particularly the BRICs. China
and Brazil have their own specificities,
but in terms of policy frameworks and
strategic direction, there are many
common denominators. We can create
a policy dialogue among the countries
followed by indicating advisory
direction with the government and with
the industry.
Under this broad framework, we also
have many sub-thematic interventions
such as ‘greening’ policies. As you may
know, last year the Indian government
adopted the National Manufacturing
Policy, so we are working with the
Ministry of Industry and Commerce
to see how this policy itself could be
‘greened’. Green means not only the
policy, but also its application.
We also work at the technical level. We
have a lot of experience in providing
technical, technological and policy
advisory services based on a thorough
analysis of needs of industry sector. Of
course, UNIDO as such cannot go to
each individual industry, factory and
business enterprise but by working at
the institutional level, we facilitate the
trickle-down to those beneficiaries.
Finally, last year, 2012, was declared by
the UN Secretary-General as the Year of
Sustainable Energy for All. ‘Sustainable
energy for all’ has three objectives but the
most important one is to provide energy
to everyone. ‘Everyone’ means from the
rural community upwards, all the way to
multinational enterprises. We are trying
hard to promote this within the UN and
May 2013 | 7
UN-INDIA PLUS
also governments and the private sector.
For example, WHO as an organization
does not address energy issues, but they
have their state level and district level
vaccine distribution centres for which
cold storage is needed, electricity is
needed and it is not available everywhere.
Now if there is electricity access, perhaps
not in every village but at least in a
cluster of villages, more vaccine stations
could be placed even closer to those
beneficiaries. That makes the activities
of the UN much more efficient and of
course the beneficiaries get more support.
So, our work is really related to human
activities. I think energy itself is an
issue that concerns everyone. It doesn’t
have to be for productive activities per
se, it also pertains to services at the
community level. This is the key to
human development.
Rineeta Naik: What are the biggest
challenges that you see in India as
regards inclusive and sustainable
industrial development? Anything
that UNIDO would like to see
work better, any way it can
contribute?
Photo: UNIDO
Ayumi Fujino: Can I be very
pragmatic? As I said, this kind
of inclusive growth needs many
inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral
interventions. It is not for just one
ministry or several ministries, or the
8 |
May 2013
private sector alone. So conceptually
everybody agrees that we must all
work together. But one of the biggest
challenges is to have a kind of a
platform for all of them. India has a
large and strong bureaucracy, which is
good and necessary, but at the same
time when it comes to the need for
inter-disciplinary or cross-sector work, it
is very difficult to break the silos.
The same can be said about the UN
agencies, Each UN agency has a
stakeholder ministry it works with. For
UNIDO it is the Ministry of Industry and
Commerce, which is a very specialized
ministry. It does not necessarily mean
however that we work only with them;
we work with many others – such as
the Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Environment and Forests because we deal
with chemicals – but when it comes to
real collaboration, things get difficult.
As I said, for example, the energy issue
touches upon health, education and
employment. So we need the entire
spectrum of stakeholders – ministries,
NGOs, CSOs and others – to come
to the meetings and actually make
substantive interventions. And there
are lots of very qualified, knowledgeable
experts everywhere, including in the
ministries. It is just a challenge for us to
identify the right profile experts so that
they can work together.
Rineeta Naik: And finally Ms.
Fujino, what do you see as the
way forward in terms of UNIDO’s
agenda, in terms of addressing
major gaps in policies?
Ayumi Fujino: In the coming years,
our activities are expanding into climate
change, energy efficiency, and new and
renewable energy. In that sense, we
are very well placed to work directly
with industries, particularly at the
sectoral level. We would like to pick
all those areas where we can make a
visible impact. We are also working
with the associations – CII, FICCI and
ASSOCHAM – to try to convince them
to share their experiences of impactmaking with their members.
So particularly chemicals and energy
efficiency, renewable energy, particularly
for industrial applications not household
applications, are some of the key areas of
intervention. At the same time, we try to
foster participation of micro enterprises
and even SMEs as clusters in various
productive and processing activities.
The SME sector is almost 80 percent of
India's industry, and many of them are
unorganized, but India is really strong
in this area. We are focusing on some
of the sectors like leather, automobile,
automotive component engineering,
which can also be a small enterprise
involving just two or three people. I
want to emphasize that we do not
merely address the needs of the upper
layer of industry. We work very closely
with SMEs. By doing so, we hope to
link up both. Over the last 20 years that
we have been working with clusters in
various parts of India, we have a very
good network established. We would
like to mobilize this network and hope
to link them to the upper value chain,
with CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, and of
course with the government. Thus, our
contribution is very specialized but we
try to see how industrial and economic
interventions can help contribute to
overall socio-economic development, in
terms of wealth creation and knowledge
management. This is what we really try
to do. n
Report Card
UN-ESCAP’s Annual Survey
A
Dhillon
Noting that the region’s economic
progress has been marked by widening
income inequalities and severe natural
resources depletion, the Economic and
Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific
2013: Forward-looking macroeconomic
policies for inclusive and sustainable
development argues that macroeconomic
policies can play a vital role in reorienting
the region towards a more inclusive and
sustainable growth path – a high priority
of its post-2015 development agenda.
Photo: UNIC/S.
sia-Pacific economies will see
subdued growth in 2013 after
last year’s sharp slowdown
caused by external factors, the United
Nations said on 18 April, adding that
efforts to stimulate demand must go
hand in hand with macroeconomic
course correction to promote broadbased and sustainable development.
(l-r): Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Dr. C. Rangarajan and Dr. Nagesh Kumar.
China is estimated to record a moderate
increase in growth from 7.8 per cent
in 2012 to 8 per cent while India is
projected to recover somewhat from last
year’s low of 5 per cent to 6.4 per cent
in 2013.
At the media launch in New Delhi
of the Survey organized by the UN
Information Centre for India and
Bhutan (UNIC), Dr. Nagesh Kumar,
Chief Economist of ESCAP and Director,
ESCAP South and South-West Asia
Office while highlighting the key
findings from the Survey said that the
Indian economy seems to have turned
the corner from the low growth of 5%
in 2012. Besides a slight rebound in the
advanced economies, India would be
helped by moderation of the inflation
creating space for easing of interest
rates by the Reserve Bank of India that
can help in pick-up of investments.
Softening of oil and commodity prices
in international markets would also
help the Indian economy given India’s
high dependence on imports and
would assist in moderating the current
account deficit. Long-term structural
issues, such as rising inequality,
energy and infrastructure shortages are
compounding the regional slowdown
and the Survey says the “structural
solution to invigorating the domestic
drivers of growth…will lie in making the
development process more inclusive
and sustainable”.
Chairman, Economic Advisory Council
to the Prime Minister of India, urged
policy-makers in the ESCAP region
to resist meekly accepting the “new
normal” and to push for higher growth
rates which could lead to an accelerated
pace for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals.”
Addressing the launch in New Delhi
as Chief Guest, Dr. C. Rangarajan,
http://www.unescap.org/ n
UNIC Director Kiran MehraKerpelman introduced the guests and
also moderated the Q&A that followed.
May 2013 | 9
UNDP: From ‘slash and burn’
to sustainability
T
he United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), in
partnership with the Government
of Nagaland in northeast India, is
helping farmers practicing jhum
cultivation in 70 villages in that state
to grow healthier crops and earn better
wages by introducing sustainable land
management practices. By slowing rates
of soil erosion, these practices have also
helped farmers improve soil fertility and
cultivate the same land for three years
instead of the normal span of two years.
Educated till high school, Atula, a
woman farmer from Nagaland, is today
an expert on improving crop cultivation
and soil fertility, two subjects that come
in handy as she works the small piece
of land she has leased from a local
landowner.
For generations Atula’s family and their
fellow villagers have practiced a form
of subsistence, slash and burn farming
called jhum. But jhum is no longer
sustainable in the face of rapid rates
of land degradation and population
pressures in India. A joint programme
between UNDP and the Nagaland
government introducing subsistence
farmers to new kinds of sustainable
land management practices have helped
Atula grown healthier crops and earn
a steady income to better support her
three children.
Since 2009, UNDP has been partnering
with Nagaland’s Department of Soil
and Water Conservation to bring these
new techniques to farmers in 70 villages
across three districts in the state,
including to Atula and her neighbours.
Traditionally, farmers practicing jhum
would be allotted a small piece of
forest area from their village council
or they would lease it from the land’s
10 |
May 2013
Photo: Zubeni Lotha/UNDP India
owner. Farmers then slash and burn
the forest and farm it for about two
years – producing just enough food to
feed their family – until the soil loses its
fertility and then move on to the next
piece of land.
Until about a decade ago, the entire
jhum cycle took about 20 years; today,
in the face of overpopulation and the
ongoing effects of climate change
on the land, that cycle has shrunk to
a mere seven to nine years. Today,
thanks to training from the UNDP
and Nagaland government, farmers
like Atula are building critical earthen
embankments on the hills where they
farm, slowing rates of erosion and
keeping the soil fertile for much longer
as a result. “We thought we would
have to leave the land after two years,
but now we are continuing to cultivate
the same land for a third year,” she
says.
Atula also now plants additional crops
like ginger and peas, which she is able
to sell at market. Her household – along
with the 4,000 other households in
the project villages benefiting from this
programme – has witnessed a 15 to 20
percent increase in average income.
She has also started to raise pigs,
feeding them recycled crop fodder
and using the manure in turn to
fertilize her crops.
“Earlier the land earned us barely
enough to live on,” Atula says.
“Now I make ` 400 to 450
(US$7.20 to $8.20) a week selling
vegetables in the local market.”
The project has also helped
women from Atula’s village
revive traditional indigo dyeing
techniques by adopting organic
methods of dyeing. Women
are now planting indigo plants
on fallow land, which is both
improving soil fertility and
providing the women with
the dye they need to revive
the production of their tribe’s
traditional shawls, a product
that the village was once
known far and wide for.
The project is a pilot one that
is now being studied by other
districts in Nagaland and other
states in the northeastern
region of India. n
IFC: Lighting India, one village at a time
W
hen night falls in India,
millions of people must
resort to kerosene lamps
or firewood or paraffin candles to
light their homes. But these old-style
products give poor lighting, produce
greenhouse gases, generate indoor
air pollution, and are bad for health
and the environment. Anyone with
an affordable, effective, and climatefriendly alternative has many potential
customers.
Nearly 400 million Indians have no
access to energy at all. Another 420
million survive on just a few hours
of electricity per day. Many off-grid
lighting product manufacturers in India
and other countries are looking for
viable ways to enter this market. The
challenge is to bring their products to
end-users in a sustainable way.
Doing this, and much more, is the
goal of the International Finance
Corporation’s new Lighting Asia
programme first launched in India that
is operated in partnership with the US
and Italy. It will spark private sector
involvement, building markets that
provide affordable, modern off-grid
lighting to low-income communities
across India.
IFC and World Bank’s successful Lighting
Africa programme launched in 2007, not
only helped private firms sell 500,000
A woman in Bihar holds on to her only beacon of light: a $17 solar LED appliance that passed
Lighting Africa’s quality tests when applied in India. Photo: IFC
solar lighting products, but reached
a much larger audience of 19 million
people through consumer education
campaigns. Lighting Asia/India will
address market barriers by creating an
enabling environment and supporting
companies committed to developing
quality products. It will offer market
assessments, feasibility studies, training,
and advice on distribution/supply
chain management, manufacturing,
and scalable business models. It will
also address access-to-finance-related
challenges for both producers and users.
Recognizing the risk of low-quality
products flooding the market, Lighting
Africa institutionalized a quality
assurance testing framework, testing
more than 100 products to date. Lighting
India plans to replicate this approach,
building local testing capacity with
internationally recognized standards.
Lighting India will add further
innovations to the Africa model,
working with renewable energy minigrids as well as lighting appliance
companies, helping bring both of them
to scale. Improving users’ productivity
and education by allowing them to
work or study in the evening without
the health hazards of fire and indoor
air pollution, Lighting Asia/India will
bring clean and affordable lighting to
the homes of 2 million people in India
by 2015.
For additional impact, in another project
IFC is also helping one of India’s largest
organizations of low-income women,
SEWA, provide 200,000 affordable
new solar lanterns and high-efficiency
cooking stoves to its members. An
upcoming IFC risk-sharing facility will
stimulate new commercial financing
for these new purchases, significantly
reducing emissions and improving living
standards at the household level. n
May 2013 | 11
IFC: Facilitating sun-driven communication
in low-income states
solar installations and takes over the
power supply management of each site.
R
enewable energy’s benefits are
two-fold – it is able to meet the
basic needs of many, while also
addressing important impacts of climate
change.
This makes it especially important in
India, where almost 44 percent of
the more than one billion people lack
access to energy. The need for phone
connections in rural and remote areas is
equally compelling.
Installing new solar power infrastructure
for telecom towers helps provide energy
access in off-grid areas to power the
world’s fastest growing mobile phone
network. And this is exactly what
Indian power solution company Applied
Solar Technologies has done in the
low-income states of Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh.
Applied Solar provides off-grid solar
power to telecom towers that mostly
rely on diesel-based generation for 100
percent of their power requirements.
The company builds and operates these
IFC’s early-stage,
almost $19 million
equity and debt
investment in
Applied Solar
(including a repeat
equity round)
is helping the
company reach
8,000 telecom
tower sites by 2016
and expand to the
states of Madhya
Pradesh, Orissa, and
Rajasthan.
Applied Solar Technologies helps Indian mobile
phone companies cut costs and increase service.
12 |
May 2013
Photo: IFC
By using a combination of solar
photo voltaic, battery backup, and
diesel generators, this hybrid energy
solution balances energy used from
different sources through a controller.
With this optimal use, consumers
get reduced diesel consumption,
increased battery life including minimal
diesel generator maintenance and
lower replacement costs, resulting in
substantial savings.
For a typical tower, total energy-related
expenses come down by about 10
percent to 20 percent per month.
Energy costs constitute a major share
of total expenses for telecom tower
companies in India, which are under
tremendous pressure to reduce costs
due to low telecom prices and revenues.
IFC’s early-stage, almost $19 million
equity and debt investment in Applied
Solar (including a repeat equity
round) is helping the company reach
8,000 telecom tower sites by 2016
and expand to the states of Madhya
Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan.
Applied Solar founders Vinod
K. Agarwal and Kapil Kathpalia
believe IFC’s role has been central
in encouraging their company to
adopt high environmental and social
standards. Dr. Agarwal feels IFC plays
a larger role in providing off-grid
energy access in rural and remote areas
through unconventional means.
This project is expected to help avoid
green house gas emissions by over
160,000 tonnes annually by 2016. For
a country with 300,000 telecom towers
– and growing – the future for Applied
Solar is bright. n
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la
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gSA mudk xkao nwj&nwj rd bl 'kkWy
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gq, gSaA n
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vkSj mlds iM+kslh 'kkfey gSaA
vkerkSj ij >we [ksrh djus okys fdlkuksa
dks xzke ifj"kn taxy esa FkksM+h lh t+ehu
ns nsrh gS ;k fQj os fdlh t+ehu ekfyd
ls iês ij t+ehu dk VqdM+k ys ysrs gSaA
QksVks% ;w ,u Mh Ikh
May 2013 | 13
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Hk
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vkSj tyok;q vuqdwy fodYi ds fy,
;gka vusd miHkksDrk ekStwn gSaA
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djksM+ yksx fnu esa flQZ dqN ?kaVs fctyh
ikrs gSaA Hkkjr vkSj vU; ns'kksa esa ykbfVax
ds oSdfYid lk/ku cukus okyh dbZ
dEifu;ka bl cktkj esa izos'k djus ds
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:Ik esa miHkksDrk rd igqapkus dh gSA
;g rjhds fudkyuk vkSj blls Hkh vkxs
c<+dj dke djuk vkbZ ,Q lh ds u,
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ls vyx jks'kuh ds lk/ku miyC/k djk;s
tk,axsA
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esa enn dj jgk gS] ftlesa bZa/ku [kir cgqr de vkSj mRltZu csgn lhfer gSA
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tk,xkA
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os 'kke ds le; vkx yxus ;k ?kj dh
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txexk nsxkA
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efgykvksa ds fy, Hkkjr esa ,d lcls
cM+s laxBu lsok dh Hkh enn dj jgk
gSA laxBu ds lnL;ksa dks de ykxr
ij nks yk[k ubZ lkSj ykyVsu vkSj csgn
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14 |
May 2013
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v
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blhfy, ;g Hkkjr esa csgn mi;ksxh gS]
tgka ,d vjc ls vf/kd vkcknh ds
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nwjnjkt ds {ks=ksa esa Qksu dusD'ku dh
t:jr Hkh mruh gh vf/kd gSA
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pyus okys u, midj.k yxkus ls fxzM
ls dVs gq, bykdksa esa ÅtkZ feysxh vkSj
nqfu;k esa lcls rsth ls c<rs eksckby
Qksu usVodZ dks pyk;k tk ldsxkA Hkkjr
esa ikoj lkWY;w'ku dEiuh ,IykbM lksyj
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vkSj mRrj izn's k esa ;gh dke fd;k gSA
,IykbM lksyj dEiuh VsyhdkWe VkolZ ds
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iwath dk nwljk nkSj Hkh 'kkfey gSA blls
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gSa fd Ik;kZoj.k vkSj lkekftd Lrj ij
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vyx fctyh lqyHk djkus esa cM+h Hkwfedk
fuHkk jgk gSA
bl izkstSDV ls 2016 rd xzhu gkÅl
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ls vf/kd dh deh ykus esa enn feyus
dh mEehn gSA Hkkjr esa 3 yk[k VsyhdkWe
Vkoj gSa vkSj mudh la[;k c<+rh gh tk
jgh gSA ,sls esa ,IykbM lkSyj dk Hkfo";
mTToy gSA n
May 2013 | 15
unic album
Young volunteers help to build the future we want
“Y
oung people and volunteers
are important target
groups for the United
Nations. The future we want lies in
their hands,” UNIC Director Kiran
Mehra-Kerpelman said during a visit
to Vashivalli, a village in the Raigadh
district of Maharashtra in which the
Anant Vikas Trust, a UNIC partner, has
been carrying out development work
with the help of young volunteers.
Photos: UNIC/R. Naik
“It is wonderful to see the passion and
dedication with which the Anant Vikas
Trust and its volunteers have worked in
these villages,” she added. “This village
is an example of how the combined
efforts of people to improve their lives
can bring results and help achieve the
Millennium Development Goals.”
The volunteers were from the Bombay
Scottish School, D. Y. Patil International
School and Narsi Monji College in
Mumbai. They used their weekends and
holidays to go to Vashivalli and three
other villages supported by the Anant
Vikas Trust. So far, they have assisted
with paperwork during medical camps,
raised funds to buy and donate solar
lamps, donated bicycles for the girls
in the village so that they can travel to
school, helped set up a computer centre
and even helped build a volleyball court!
During a nearly two-hour long
interaction with the villagers at
Vashivalli, Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman also
lauded their own efforts, initiative and
their eagerness to better their lives and
also to improve the conditions in the
village, including sanitation. Young
people, including girls and young
women, from the village were learning
to use computers, and were intent on
getting an education and finding good
jobs. Challenges, however, remain.
“We need more electricity,” they said.
“Also, more employment opportunities.
There is so much we can do.” Mrs.
Mehra-Kerpelman spoke to them about
vocational training and the avenues
that could open for them. “You need
to change your mindset and look at the
immense possibilities a profession can
open up for you”, she said.
Youth Empowerment
for Change
Later, speaking at a conference on youth
empowerment in Mumbai, attended by
educators, activists and students, Ms.
Mehra-Kerpelman said she was struck
by the enthusiasm and commitment of
the young volunteers she had met in
the village. “I firmly believe that young
people have it in them to bring about
change,” she said. ““Looking at this
collaborative model of development,
I feel that this can only be a win-win
situation where the young volunteers
get a first-hand experience of the
challenges facing the less privileged, the
satisfaction of making a difference, and
the resulting impact and improvement
in the lives of the people they are
helping.”
Anant Vikas founder Hriitu Rana
said the goal of her organization was
two-pronged – contributing towards
the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by
carrying out development work, and
encouraging young urban children to
step outside their comfort zones and
16 |
May 2013
unic album
to understand and help address the
challenges faced by the less privileged.
“The response has been overwhelming
and the plan is to now encourage more
schools to participate, perhaps even
have each school ‘adopt’ a village,” she
said.
Other speakers at the conference
included Valsa Nair Singh, Secretary
of Environment, Government of
Maharashtra; Amita Dahiya from UN
Volunteers; Grace Pinto, Managing
Director, Ryan Group of Schools; Lina
Ashar, founder of Kangaroo Pre School
Kids and Billabong High International
School; Farzana Dohadwalla,
International Baccalaureate (IB) Adviser
for South Asia; and Manju Nichani,
Principal, K.C. College, Mumbai.
All speakers emphasized the need
for educators to look beyond the
curriculum and encourage students to
think ‘outside the box’, in particular,
instilling in them the values of
compassion and public service.
Also, the need to ensure equitable
progress and access to resources and
development has become crucial.
Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman reminded her
audience, echoing UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon exhortation to
“accelerate our work for the MDGs,
make the most of the next 1,000 days
and meet the millennium promise”.
“As we map out our priorities, and the
priorities of future generations, let us
keep this broad vision in mind,”
Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman added. n
We now have less than 1000 days
to go for the 2015 MDG deadline,
Musical
messages for
Earth Day
V
olunteers from several Delhi
colleges came together at a
popular city mall to observe
Earth Day and to raise awareness of
climate change at an event organized by
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) and supported
by UNIC. These ‘Environment
Ambassadors’ sang and danced, ‘flash
mob style’, and with the help of star
volunteer and radio jockey Simran
Kohli, drew mall visitors to their kiosk
stocked with cards, bookmarks and
information material on climate change
and the environment.
The display in the central atrium of
the mall included installations in the
shape of huge butterflies, made from
scrap metal and hung from the ceiling.
Titled ‘Metamorphosis’, the installation,
according to the artist, Arun Verma,
was the “embodiment of the law of the
Photo: UNIC/R. Naik
Earth”, which was about “preservation”
choosing “not to destroy”.
The event included a quiz contest on
climate change, in which scores of
visitors participated enthusiastically.
UNIC Assistant Information Officer
Rineeta Naik gave away the prizes
to the winners and also presented
certificates to the volunteers. She
thanked the volunteers for being “the
face of positive change” and for helping
spread the UN’s message. “Your energy
is infectious and your efforts inspiring,”
she added. “We hope you will keep up
the good work!”
“Young people are the ones who drive
change,’ observed RJ Simran. “I am
always eager to promote this cause
and would be delighted to help take it
forward.”
Ravindra Joshi, Joint Secretary of
the IEEE (Delhi Section) Executive
Committee, said he was thrilled
by the response and suggested
organizing similar events at various
schools around the city so that many
more young ‘green ambassadors’
could be roped in for this important
cause. n
May 2013 | 17
unic album
“Every child needs a teacher”
E
very child in the
world has the
right to a quality
education and no child
has a chance of realizing
that right without an
effective teacher. The Global
Campaign for Education
(GCE) runs a Global Action
Week every year, and since
its inception in 2001, this
campaign has brought
together tens of millions of
people and raised awareness
on these issues. This year the
campaign was co-organized
by the National Coalition for
Education (NCE), UNESCO
India, the United Nations
Information Centre for India and
Bhutan (UNIC) and CARE.
Education for All Goals. She reminded
the audience that on 26 September
2012, during the UN General Assembly
in New York, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon launched a fiveyear initiative to bolster global action
on education and it sought to generate
a renewed push to reach the education
goals set for 2015 – the Global
Education First Initiative, GEFI. He
urged governments to spare no effort to
achieve the MDGs by 2015. “We have
three years and three months. We must
intensify our work. This is our collective
responsibility”, he said.
Photo: UNIC/A. Narain
Several Members of Parliament
presented strong messages in
support of education-related
initiatives such as these. UNESCO
Director and Representative
for India Shigeru Aoyagi also
pledged the ongoing support of
his office to this very effective
campaign.
The event was attended by teachers
and students from government
schools, many of whom had created
placards carrying messages in English
and Hindi. UNIC Director Kiran
Mehra-Kerpelman congratulated
them on their efforts. “Education
is the basic building block of every
society”, she said. “It is a fundamental
human right, not a privilege of the
few”. She pointed out that education
is the critical thread tying together all
our hopes for the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals and six
Photo: UNIC/T.
18 |
May 2013
Kerpelman
UNIC National Information Officer
Rajiv Chandran moderated a riveting
media interaction, together with
UNESCO National Programme Officer
Huma Masood. n
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Young Gandhian summit for peace
A
Photos: UNIC/A. Narain
Young Gandhian
summit for peace
was organized by
Gandhi Global Family (GGF)
in collaboration with the
KIIT Group of Colleges in
New Delhi on 15 April.
Addressing the 300-strong
gathering, UNIC Director
Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman,
who was the Chief Guest
for the event, commended
the activists for believing in the message
of Gandhi, the message of peace. “The
United Nations principles of putting
people first, focusing on the needs
of the underprivileged, the emphasis
on equality and non-discrimination,
empowering those left out of the
development process, and the focus on
human rights – these are indeed almost
an echo of Gandhi’s thoughts and
words,” Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman said.
Several eminent participants, including
GGF Vice-President S.P. Varma KIIT
CEO H.V. Karah spoke on different
aspects of peace and development,
particularly emphasizing the need for
education. A number of social activists,
industrialists and politicians presented
papers on themes of employment,
friendship with neighbouring countries
and the eradication of social evils.
Various conclusions emerged from the
conference, with most participants
agreeing that youth power was the
backbone of economic development
and that employment was therefore
crucial; and peace and friendship was
the only cement that could hold the
world together.
In conclusion, Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman
said: “The link between youth power,
Gandhian principles and sustainable
development is evident, and I hope that
in the months and years to come, the
UN will have the support of people like
you to help take the global agenda of
peace, development and human rights
forward”. n
New milestones for We Care Filmfest
T
he 99th showing of the Disability
Film Festival, We Care, was held
in Jaipur at the Step-by-Step
School, co-organized by the United
Nations Information Centre (UNIC)
and the Prabha Khaitan Foundation,
in collaboration with the NGO
Brotherhood. We Care is a travelling
festival of films on disability rights
issues.
Margaret Alva, Governor of
Rajasthan, graciously inaugurated the
Festival. She said that this issue of
integrating persons with disabilities
into mainstream society was very close
to her heart because she herself was
patron of many disability initiatives. She
spoke of the UN Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities and
said that India was a signatory and had
ratified it, but better enforcement and
implementation was necessary. “The
We Care Film Festival is an important
vehicle that is leading to a change
in mindset and of hearts,” she said,
adding it was a wonderful platform
which needed to be taken to an even
higher level.
are invisible because we keep them
that way”, said UNIC Director Kiran
Mehra-Kerpelman. “They are kept
away from public places, either because
we consider them an unnecessary
burden or we do not know how to
address their needs, or even if we do,
we just do not have the facilities and
infrastructure in place”, she noted.
“And what initiatives like We Care do
is to bring these people, these issues,
out in the open, starkly, yet creatively”.
The films had the undivided attention
of 400 students, testifying to its
significance as an awareness raising
exercise. “People with disabilities
Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman thanked StepBy-Step School Principal Jayshree
Periwal and her team for hosting the
event and the students for putting
May 2013 | 19
unic album
Photos: Prabha Khaitan Foundation
their creativity to work by preparing
paintings and disability issues.
Differently-abled students from two
organizations, Disha and Umang,
also presented dance and music
performances.
Sandeep Bhutoria of the Prabha
Khaitan Foundation also pledged
his support to future activities with
UNIC on these issues. Festival
director Satish Kapoor gave a
passionate presentation of the
results being achieved through these
showings and reaffirmed his personal
commitment to the cause.
The We Care festival – of which
UNIC is a founding partner – reached
another milestone soon after, with
the 100th showing being organized
in New Delhi in collaboration with
the city’s municipal authorities.
Nearly 800 students from Delhi’s
Municipal Corporation schools
viewed the films and cheered the
spirit behind the films. Organized on
25 April by Vidushi Chaturvedi,
Director of Education, New Delhi
Municipal Corporation (NDMC), the
screening was attended by
Archana Arora, Chairperson
of NDMC, and UNIC National
Information Officer Rajiv
Chandran, among others.
20 |
May 2013
(Top) Step-By-Step School Principal Jayshree Periwal, Rajasthan Governor H.E. Margaret
Alva and UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman view a photo exhibit by school students on
disability issues in Jaipur; (above) Differently-abled students from Jaipur schools present a music
performance; (below) Indian Spinal Injuries Centre Chairperson Maj. Gen. H.P.S. Ahluwalia;
Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman; and We Care Filmfest director Satish Kapoor at the launch of the film
festival’s 11th edition in New Delhi.
Photo: We Care Filmfest
The next presentation of films – the
awards ceremony at the conclusion
of the 10th edition and the launch
of the 11th edition – took place on
8 May at the state-of-the-art Indian
Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), New
Delhi. It was hosted by ISIC founder
and chairperson Maj. Gen. H.P.S.
Ahluwalia. This former soldier has
been a role model and inspiration for
the We Care festival. A mountaineer,
Maj. Gen. Ahluwalia climbed Mt.
Everest on 29 May 1965 with his
friends Rawat, Phu Dorji and Sir
Edmund Hillary. Four months later in
the 1965 India-Pakistan war, he was
shot in the spine, as a result of which
he is now confined to a wheelchair.
Also showing their support for
the initiative were Stuti Kacker,
Secretary in the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment,
Department of Disability Affairs;
A.K. Lal, Joint Secretary and Chief
Executive Officer of National Trust for
the Welfare of Persons with Autism,
Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation
and Multiple Disabilities from
the same Ministry; and Poonam
Natarajan from the National Trust,
all of whom pledged their support to
take the festival forward.
unic album
“As we approach the deadline for
the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals in 2015, it is clear
that the Goal of reducing poverty
and hunger cannot be achieved
without the participation of persons
with disabilities,” said Ms. MehraKerpelman. “This film festival is an
unprecedented effort to bring the rights
of persons with disabilities to the
forefront”, she added. n
Multilingualism in intercultural dialogue
In today’s globalized world, language
has become a significant component to
unlock cultural diversity, and in the words
of Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, “it is a
mirror of cultures which reflects not only
to the reality, the actual value system and
perception, but also serves as a bridge
between cultures”. Mahatma Gandhi
was extremely keen that one should
learn languages and he encouraged that
Photos: UNIC/T. Kerpelman
G
andhi Smriti and Darshan
Samiti, an autonomous body
under Ministry of Culture,
invited diplomats, journalists and
people working from various walks of
life in India, who have a knowledge
of Hindi and endeavour to use it in
bringing cultures closer. It is chaired
by the Prime Minister of India, Dr.
Manmohan Singh, and Tara Gandhi
Bhattacharjee is the Vice Chairperson.
She is also the granddaughter of
the Father of the Nation, Mahatma
Gandhi. After an introduction by Ms.
Gandhi Bhattacharjee and a key note
address by Ranjan Mathai, Foreign
Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs,
the participants were felicitated and
a very dynamic panel discussion
ensued, kicked off by Sir Mark Tully,
formerly of the BBC. People shared their
personal and professional experiences
on how the use of the local language
had helped them in promoting a culture
of peace and appreciating the national
character.
(Top) Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai;
Gandhi Smriti Vice Chairperson Tara Gandhi
Bhattacharjee and UNIC Director Kiran MehraKerpelman. (Right) Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee
points to a photo of her as a young girl
walking alongside Mahatma Gandhi.
everyone should learn a new word of
another language every day”.
“The United Nations is a world body,
composed of nation-states, but also a
place where various cultures, customs
and languages meet”, said UNIC
Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman. “It
is diverse and therefore it is natural that
multilingualism should be of particular
importance, and the balance among
the six official languages has been an
ongoing concern of the UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon. To ensure that
UN goals and actions are understood
by its global audience, we take this
even further”, said UNIC Director. “We
try inasmuch as possible to tailor our
activities using local languages when
and if that is possible. This always
creates a rapport with the people and
we feel that the UN message gets
across more easily”. n
May 2013 | 21
unic album
Building hope
“T
he human right to adequate
housing is more than just
four walls and a roof. It is
the right of every woman, man, youth
and child to gain and sustain a safe and
secure home and community in which
to live in peace and dignity,” UNIC
Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman
said during the launch of a painting
competition for schoolchildren on the
‘Right to Shelter’ organized by the
NGO, Habitat for Humanity, which
brings volunteers together to help
construct houses for poor families and
persons with disabilities.
Habitat for Humanity has helped
thousands of families acquire or
rebuild homes or receive financial and
technical assistance.
Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman also praised the
volunteers for “helping build or rebuild
– literally – the lives of those in need
and for restoring their sense of security
and dignity.”
“You give life to the lofty aims and
ideals of the United Nations,” she
added.
Earlier, in 2012, Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman
had participated in a house-building
project at a village, Savda Ghevra, on
the outskirts of Delhi, where she was
able to view first-hand the efforts of
the volunteers.
Eric Christopher and Justin Jebaraj,
CEO and Director respectively of
Habitat for Humanity, described their
activities and emphasized the critical
value that volunteers – individuals
as well as corporate – brought to the
organization’s work.
The guests symbolically placed ‘bricks’
on a miniature house set up on the UN
Lawns to launch the competition. Later,
the ‘house’ was moved inside the UN
building so that UN staff could also
contribute to the cause. n
World Press Freedom Day:
Role of community media
A
number of eminent
journalists, media experts
and representatives from
community radio stations came
together at a day-long seminar
organized by the UN Information
Centre, UNESCO and the Institute
of Rural Research and Development
(IRRAD) to mark World Press
Freedom Day in New Delhi on 3 May.
22 |
May 2013
The theme of the seminar was
‘Rural Voices: Upholding Freedom of
Expression through Mainstream and
Alternative Media’. The objective of
the conference was to promote voices
of communities having limited space
in the mainstream media, highlight
the importance of media freedom to
development and rural empowerment,
and reflect on the ways in which the
media could help transform lives in the
country’s rural and less accessible areas.
Sukumar Muralidharan, Programme
Manager, International Federation of
Journalists, presented the UNESCOsupported Press Freedom Report for
South Asia 2012-13. This annual report
monitors and reviews developments
in the South Asian region that have a
bearing on press freedom and quality
journalism.
unic album
The inaugural session saw presentations
by UNIC Director Kiran MehraKerpelman, UNESCO Director and
Representative for India Shigeru
Aoyagi and IRRAD Chief Executive
Officer Jane E. Schukoske.
“The most critical role of a free media
is to protect the public interest and
uphold democracy,” added Mr. Aoyagi.
“The media’s function as watchdog is
fundamental, as is the belief that it is
the only institution that can fulfil such
a function. The media are not just the
anointed representative of the public,
their practices must be intrinsically
bound up with the fostering of public
trust and accountability.”
Senior journalist Bharat Bhushan,
in his keynote address, provided a
comprehensive survey of the challenges
facing the Indian media. This was
followed by an equally meticulous, critical
survey of the trends in Indian media
and an assessment of the road ahead by
the Chief Guest, Jawhar Sircar, Chief
Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, India’s
largest public broadcaster.
The first panel discussion saw eminent
journalists and commentators discuss
the media’s social responsibilities
in the light of its role as an agent
of social change and a watchdog of
democracy. The panelists included A.S.
Panneerselvan, Executive Director,
Panos South Asia; B.V. Rao, Chief
Editor, Governance Now magazine;
and Ravi M. Khanna, freelance
journalist and media consultant,
formerly with the Voice of America.
During the discussion and the Q&A
that followed, the panelists provided a
stark yet constructive appraisal of the
state of the Indian media, particularly
emphasizing the phenomenon of
‘paid news’, the media’s tendency
to focus on ‘soft’ stories that reflect
the growing consumer aspirations of
India’s middle class, the perception of
news as a ‘product’ and the role of the
‘CEO Editor’ in defining the nature and
functioning of the media.
The second panel focused on alternative
media, particularly community radio,
video and grassroots newspapers. Chaired
by Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Chair holder
of the UNESCO Chair on Community
Media, the panel discussed the capacity
of alternative media to empower
rural and marginalized communities
The media’s
function as
watchdog is
fundamental, as is
the belief that it is
Senior journalist Bharat Bhushan (left) provided a comprehensive survey of the challenges
facing Indian media, followed by Chief Guest and Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar (right) who
presented an assessment of the road ahead.
the only institution
that can fulfil such a
function.
Ms. Schukoske referred to the media’s
lack of engagement with the lives of
people in rural and poor urban areas.
“We hope that mainstream media will
step up to the need for greater attention
to the realities of rural India, and that
the alternative media will grow in its
(l-r): Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Sukumar Muralidharan, Shigeru Aoyagi and Jane E. Schukoske
launching the Press Freedom Report for South Asia 2012-13.
May 2013 | 23
Photos: UNIC/A. Narain
“These are exciting times for the
media in India,” remarked Ms. MehraKerpelman. “But this is perhaps
an opportune time to stop and
ask: is the media is contributing
to the strengthening of democratic
institutions? What is the range of public
views and sentiment that it manages
to capture? And to what extent is it
able to empower the poorest and the
marginalized?”
important role of creating spaces for
rural voices,” she added.
Regd. No. DELBIL/2005/15087
DL(S)-17/3076/2011-13
unic album
along with examples of effective and
innovative use of community media.
The panelists included Aaditeshwar
Seth, co-founder and CEO, Gram Vaani
Community Media; Jitender Sharma,
Station Head, Kisan Vani Community
Radio; Osama Manzar, founder
and Director, Digital Empowerment
Foundation; and Shalini Joshi, Director
of Nirantar, an organization working
on education and empowerment of
girls and women from marginalized
communities and founder of a
newspaper produced by rural women.
The seminar concluded with an ‘Open
House’ chaired by T.K. Arun, Editor,
Opinion, The Economic Times.
A.S. Panneerselvan, Sukumar Muralidharan, B.V. Rao and Ravi M. Khanna discuss the media’s
social responsibilities.
Iskra Panevska, Adviser for
Communication and Information for
South Asia, UNESCO New Delhi,
presented concluding remarks,
while Pooja Murada, Director of
Communications, IRRAD, presented the
vote of thanks. n
ROVING REPORTER
Making every vote count
T
he UN Volunteers (UNV) Field
Unit in India has mobilized
thousands of Indians to vote for
the My World Survey. Where internet or
mobile options are not available, UNV’s
partners at the grassroots level have
been supporting offline surveys since
March 2013. So far, more than 1200
people including tribal, marginalized
and poor people from Belgaum; children
and youth from rural areas of Wayanad,
Kerala; youth from the slum areas of
Guwahati and educators from Mumbai
have participated in the offline survey to
indicate the issues they would like the
post-2015 agenda to address.
You can vote too,
at www.myworld2015.org. n
Photo: UNV
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