Only 4 more days to submit Chapter 3 to A Novel Project. http://www.101magazine.ca/contests-projects/a-novel-project/

The deadline to submit Chapter 3 to A Novel Project is July 3rd. Visit http://www.101magazine.ca/contests-projects/a-novel-project/ to read Chapter 1 and 2 and perhaps you have an idea for what should follow. http://101mag.com

Be careful about International House in New York. I innocently applied for a housing in this place for 6 months, but I did not know it was actually a SCAM.

I went through a very bureaucratic process. First I had to pay a NOT REFUNDABLE 65 USD fee for the application. Then, there are admission criteria that I really think I was fulfilling, but I then received a letter telling me I was denied the housing.

I then asked why I was denied the place, and after 3 phone call attempts, the person told me that I did not fulfill the criteria in the same extent than other candidate, but could not explain why exactly or specifically.

She told me that it was like a university application!!!
I am really upset against International House, which basically steals international students or young people's money!!!!

I you feel you were in the same case and this is actually a SCAM, please write me a email at: sigar14@gmail.com.
The more we are the more powerful we will be.

Cheers,

Simon

Sustainable development cannot be achieved in Africa without the establishment of an effective intergeneration partnership for sustainability among the young people and the other generation. If Africa has challenges today, these are mere preludes to the looming threats of tomorrow. The youth have deep stakes in the future and we are eager to contribute our quota. The future belongs to us. The youths are full of ideas and we are waiting to share them


Why do we not involve the young people from Africa? An environment where elders believed that they have the monopoly of knowledge cannot lead into a sustainable future!. “Provide all, especially children and youth, with educational opportunities that empower them to contribute actively to Sustainable development.” (Earth Charter 2000).

As a follow up to my participation at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 17th session and in line with my Earth Charter Special Project, I am organizing a “Dialogue with the Elders Forum” on Intergeneration Partnership for Sustainability with grant from Earth Charter International on June 6th in Abuja.

The "Dialogue with the Elders" Forum is in partnership with Youth Aid Organization for Africa (YAOFA) and will focus more on the Earth Charter as a tool for achieving environmental sustainability and Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability among youths and older generations. "Based on the conviction that intergenerational partnerships are essential for achieving a just, sustainable, and peaceful world".


The meeting is aimed at bringing all youths in the Earth Charter Family to meet with Earth Charter Nigeria "Elders" as well as bring more youths into the Earth Charter Youth Initiative family and also inspire the formation of new Earth Charter youth Groups across the country. It will also afford us the opportunity to meet with invited guests who have a role to play in sustainability issues in Nigeria like the media, government and CSOs and people living in a community.

Date : June 6th 2009
Venue: Conference Room, Youth Aid Organization for Africa (YAOFA), 983,
Ahmadu Bello way, Opposite Legislative
Quarters, Apo, Abuja

Be there!!

Should every city have an event like this to catlyze the synergy of young professionals?

http://blog.trendctv.com/glamorous-life-blog/2009/04/10/one-week-until-the-big-ygl-event/

There are a lot of young people serving in very senior positions in the Obama administration. Here are three:

Joshua DuBois, 26, Head of White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1877501,00.html

Jon Favreau, 27, Director of Speechwriting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Favreau_(speechwriter)

Chris Hughes, 25, Coordinator for Online Organization of the Obama Campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hughes_(Facebook)

Vous avez probablement déjà entendu cette citation de Mary Kay Ash*, qui dit ceci: « Il existe trois types d’individus dans ce monde: ceux qui font qu’il se passe quelque chose, ceux qui regardent ce qui se passe et ceux qui se demandent ce qui s’est passé. Nous avons tous le choix...» Et, vous, quel genre d’individus êtes-vous? Qui voulez-vous être vraiment ?

Ce que nous révèle ici l'auteure, c’est qu’en réalité la première catégorie d’individus dispose d’une plus vaste gamme de choix que la deuxième et la troisième car ils ont pris la décision d’agir sur ce qu’ils souhaitent réaliser. Les seconds regardent sans s’impliquer tandis que les derniers se rendent compte a postériori qu’ils ont manqué quelque chose.

Les troisièmes sont par la force des choses les plus contraints à se laisser emporter et à suivre le mouvement des autres, sans avoir le contrôle sur les événements. Déstabilisés par le changement qu’ils n’ont pas vu venir, ils réagissent après coup. Ils peuvent avoir le sentiment d’avoir été dupés ou que les choses leur ont échappé. Leur capacité d’action, leur marge de manœuvre se trouvent limitées par l’inattention dont ils ont fait preuve. Mais, où étaient-ils quand les choses se passaient?

• Les seconds sont spectateurs d’un mouvement, produit par les autres. Ils préfèrent l’observer plutôt que le créer. Idéalement, ils peuvent apprendre des erreurs des autres et éviter de les reproduire. Si le mouvement correspond à leurs valeurs, ils suivent, y adhérent, sinon ils choisissent une autre direction ou s’opposent à ce qui ne leur convient pas. Ils peuvent aussi payer le prix de leur passivité par le regret, la frustration, « j’aurais pu, si j’avais su… ». Il existe autant de limites que l’on est capable de s’en créer.

• Les premiers sont des leaders car ils se donnent une direction qui correspond à leurs aspirations. Ils décident de conduire plutôt que de se laisser conduire….. Leur volonté d’agir leur procure une longueur d’avance, ils voient des opportunités avant les autres. Ils n’attendent pas que le changement se fasse, ils le provoquent, ils le créent ! En agissant, ils expérimentent un terrain connu ou totalement nouveau; les défis sont présents, mais ils peuvent se préparer, s’ajuster à partir du moment où ils en ont pris conscience. Ils sont responsables de leurs actes et leurs erreurs sont autant d’occasions d’apprentissages.
Vouloir réaliser un rêve, un projet, transformer une idée en action, prendre la décision d’agir, s’engager avec courage, motivation, confiance et détermination, voilà ce qu’il faut pour prendre sa destinée en main et devenir leader de sa propre vie.

* Entrepreneure américaine (1918-2001)

Mars 2009

Computer centers in the Syangja district of Nepal are facing a connectivity crisis. Entire villages get email and browse the internet through the equivalent of the cellular phone you carry in your pocket.

Cellular internet bandwidth is billed by the minute. As NRIDS information centers become increasingly popular costs are rising to prohibitive levels. Often, shared connections at cellular speeds are not fast enough to support today’s high bandwidth internet.

Stuck on slow connections, many rural Nepali communities are being cut off from the electronic resources the western world takes for granted.


NRIDS has a plan to solve the connectivity crisis. Using the same inexpensive wi-fi hardware installed in homes and coffeshops throughout the western world, NRIDS hopes to build a wireless repeater on a high ridge-top at Kharsuko Lake.

NRIDS has technically skilled volunteers willing to implement this project for free, but has no funds to purchase the necessary radios and antennas. All it takes to make this network possible is USD $8000. Please donate now by clicking the button to the right of this page and help connect residents of Syanjga with each other and the rest of the world.

With minimal financial resources and by relying on the support of its dedicated volunteers, NRIDS has succeeded in establishing five community information centers (CICs) throughout the Syanjga district in central Nepal. Syangja’s CICs are based on a model carefully tailored to local needs, and are able to remain sustainable while offering computer training, business services, and information access to Syangja’s residents.

Unfortunately, Syanjga’s CICs face a connectivity crisis. These CICs are linked to the internet through Nepal’s CDMA cellular data network. Essentially, this means entire villages of rural Nepalis get email and browse the internet through the equivalent of the cellular phone you carry in your pocket.

Cellular reception throughout Syangja is often poor. CDMA bandwidth is billed by the minute, and as CICs become increasingly popular costs are rising to prohibitive levels. Often, shared connections at CDMA speeds are not fast enough to support today’s high bandwidth internet. Stuck on slow connections, many Nepali communities are being cut off from the electronic resources they need.

NRIDS has a plan to solve this connectivity crisis. Using the same inexpensive wi-fi hardware installed in homes and coffeshops throughout the western world, NRIDS hopes to build a wireless repeater on a high ridge-top at Kharsuko Lake. This wireless network will link Syangja’s CICs with each other, and with a high-speed internet connection in the major city of Pokhara only 50 km away.

A wireless network would enable Syangja’s CICs to offer new services to improve the lives of local citizens:

* Faster, more stable internet access at a fraction of the cost
* Free voice and video calls from one networked village to another
* Affordable international calls to family working abroad, allowing conversations on a weekly instead of monthly basis
* Telemedicine programs to connect doctors in Pokhara’s hospitals with rural clinics in Syangja
* Centrally hosted services to give businesses and communities a presence on the internet

NRIDS has technically skilled volunteers willing to implement this project for free, but has no funds to purchase the necessary radios and antennas. All it takes to make this network possible is USD $8000. Please donate now by clicking the button to the right of this page and help connect residents of Syanjga with each other and the rest of the world.

Please visit our website http://nridsnepal.org.np for details information about the projects of NRIDS.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE : http://nridsnepal.org.np

I am on my way to New York, going there for a three months internship at the UN. I will use this blog to share my thoughts during my internship at the Global Compact Office.
I am now on the Greyhound bus still in Toronto.

After I worked in a corporate responsibility research firm in Toronto, I will now try to expand my knowledge in this area and learn more about all the stakeholders that are part of Corporate Social Responsibility. I think the UN is the best place to analyze such issues.
So far, my research mainly focused on the private sector perspective and how CSR can contribute to the value of a company. I am very interested about human rights issues, while this is a personal interest.
The bus is leaving see you soon.


... Well I realized the Greyhound bus had wifi! Great!

So yes I am writing this blog to organize my thoughts a bit and share my experience with those who dare read my poor English... whatever..

Before coming back to the goals of my internship I will briefly write about why I am going there and maybe why I was selected for the internship.

I have been passionate about global issues since my studies in history. In France, I studied history and political science. My program was B.A Multidisciplinary Social Science, History and Arts. I especially enjoyed a course on international relations and the history of socialism from Serge Wolikow. My passion led me to study International Relations at Laval University in Quebec, where I could further my knowledge by studying international economy, IR theory, environmental global governance.

I had the huge opportunity to work at TakingITGlobal on a project from IDRC, Microsoft and a Swiss development Agency whose aim was to develop IT infrastructure in developing countries. This was opportunity to see how a CSR project work, who the stakeholders are, and what make a project successful ... or not!

Then after completing some courses in business I had the huge opportunity to work in a Corporate Social Responsibility / Social Responsible Research Firm called Innovest Strategic Value Advisors. There I did a qualitative assessment of more than 600 publicly listed companies (listed on worldwide Stock Exchanges), to analyze the policies of multinationals (MNFs)and their relations to their actual (or what is publicly known) performance in term of environmental social (labor and human rights) and governance/anti-corruption norms. This led me to learn a range of issues I did not know before, and I gained expertize because I had to compile in my research all the reputational issues of MNFs in one database containing more than 2000 companies. I learned what the main issues are, but I only had the broad picture in relation to those issues.

I realized that the way company report their environmental performance is far from being the same for all companies. In accounting a company can hide a range of issues to increase the way their valuation is perceived by financial institutions or people who want to invest in those company.
But when social/environmental/governance (ESG) issues are in question, this is much worse!

There are some initiative that took place recently such as the Global Reporting Initiatives and other business initiative such as Responsible Care that compel companies to benchmark their reporting. This is great but not enough. I think government hold a responsibility to render those companies much more accountable. This is a first step to a cleaner, responsible and more transparent economic growth.
There is a great need to make accountability uniform and sufficiently transparent so that the financial markets take into account new metrics to valuate companies.

I also learned that corruption is still pandemic and companies policies in this area can be really weak (there are of course best practices). Also I was amazed to see companies that have a competitive advantage BECAUSE they are non-transparent (the worst are private equity firms). Most of those non transparent company are registered in fiscal heavens, do not pay taxes locally.

Some Banks also do not have thorough anti-money laundering mechanisms and specific policies.

When I talk about non transparent companies I am mainly referring to emerging market companies located in Brazil, Venezuela, China, India, Russia. Those are the worst in term or accountability. Not that all are doing bad, but their reporting is quasi non existent. So that at the end we never do what they do (good or bad).

I will post this blog as it is... that is to say very disorganized and come back later to talk about other issues I have in mind.

“The Earth Charter Initiative” is an extraordinarily diverse, global network of people, organizations, and institutions that participate in promoting and implementing the values and principles of the Earth Charter.

The Initiative is a broad-based, voluntary, civil society effort. Participants include leading international institutions, national governments and their agencies, university associations, non-government organizations and community-based groups, city governments, faith groups, schools and businesses – as well as thousands of individuals."(www.earthcharter.org)

As part of the Earth Charter Initiative there is a bold, diverse and dynamic action-oriented youth network that promotes the principles of the Earth Charter among young people. This youth network involves active young people from over 70 countries, with more than 45 Earth Charter Youth Groups (ECYGs) and numerous partners around the world. The Youth Leadership Team and the International Youth Facilitator offer guidance to the youth network.

Earth Charter Youth Initiative Nigeria is made up of entrepreneurial youth activists committed to promoting the Earth Charter and sustainable national development through various ways like youth action projects, workshops on the Earth Charter and volunteerism.

Earth Charter Youth Initiative Nigeria through Earth Charter Youth Calabar is implementing a project called “Understanding and discovering the purpose of Earth Charter in achieving the MDGs: Towards environmental sustainability and peace building in the Niger Delta”. The project is one of the 6 Earth Charter International-funded projects. Earth Charter International funds the most outstanding project plans.

Project activities includes Workshop on the Earth Charter leading to Action projects and a “Dialogue with the Elders Forum on Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability”.

Earth Charter Youth Initiative Nigeria is proud to have it active member as a member of the International Youth Leadership Team (YLT) in the person of Timothy Ogene representing Africa and the Middle East. We are also proud that the coordinator of Earth Charter Youth Group Calabar will be participating at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD) 17th Session in New York May, 2009 with the generous support of the German Government.


Earth Charter Youth Initiative Nigeria Invites you to join us in make Nigeria become “ a more just, sustainable and people world”

For More info, please contact:
Esther at ecygcalabar@yahoo.com
Timothy at togene@earthcharterinaction.org

PEACE

Global and Regional messages
 Invest in youth leadership: Policies and programmes will be most effective if they involve young people meaningfully in all stages of planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Governments must foster mentorship by initiating youth-adult partnerships, by building capacities for mentorship programmes, and by creating sustained spaces for youth participation. Furthermore, youth representatives must be chosen democratically by youth-led and youth-oriented organizations and networks. Advocating for (core) funding, mentorship and political will to support youth organizations and for greater partnership between young people and political leadership on STI’s, HIV and SRH, but it’s not just having a seat at the table –it is about making that opportunity legitimate, effective and representative for civil society participation.

 Address HIV in the context of other sexual and reproductive health needs: HIV does not occur in isolation. With HIV, young people often experience sexual assault, gender-based violence, maternal mortality, unsafe abortions and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Therefore, HIV must be seen and addressed not as an isolated problem, but in the context of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

 The realities of young people’s lives must be taken into account in program and policy development, and implementation: It is crucial to acknowledge the specific needs of marginalized young people who experience an increased risk of HIV transmission. The experiences and expertise of young people living with HIV (YLHIV), young men who have sex with men (MSM), young injection drug users (IDU), and young sex workers must be respected and included in program and policy development to ensure that they are relevant and effective. In many parts of the world, injecting drug use is fuelling concentrated epidemics. Young IDU’s need access to youth friendly harm reduction programs that include needle and syringe exchanges, information about sexual health, HIV prevention, treatment (including substitution therapy), and support to protect themselves and their sexual partners. Young people living with HIV must have access to anti-retroviral treatment and complete health education with respect to HIV and AIDS, so they are able to manage opportunistic infections and maintain their personal well-being. All young people have rights to information, education, services, and support, which they do not lose as a result of their HIV status.

 Take positive steps to promote and protect young people’s rights: The violation of young people’s rights puts them at greater risk of harm. The key to reducing vulnerabilities lies in the promotion and protection of these rights. Young people have all human rights irrespective of their age, gender, race or other status. These rights include the full range of their sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to be free from violence and persecution/stigmatization, and the right to confidentiality. These rights must be guaranteed regardless of HIV status.

Regional and Local messages
 HIV is transmitted primarily through sex: Young people’s access to comprehensive, evidence-based sex education and HIV prevention programs that are safe, confidential, welcoming, and free from stigma and discrimination are imperative in responding to the HIV epidemic. Young people must also have access to youth-friendly services for testing, treatment, and care from trained providers in convenient and affordable locations. Sexual and reproductive health knowledge gives young people the tools they need to make educated decisions regarding their own health and to prevent HIV infection. HIV should be discussed from a young age by families, schools, and communities so that young people grow into adolescence with an understanding of the virus and the vulnerabilities particular to young people specific to gender, age, location, and sub-population.

 Make health services more accessible to young people: Stigma, discrimination and lack of awareness contribute to making health services inaccessible to young people. Awareness must be raised about these services, and their use must be promoted by messages in local languages and popular means of communication. Spaces for young people must be established at existing service centers. Respect for confidentiality and privacy must be ensured at these spaces. Ensure access to comprehensive sexuality education. The provision of evidence based HIV prevention and comprehensive sexuality education is the most effective and sustainable mode of prevention. The best available evidence shows that “abstinence only” programmes fail and actually cause more harm than good. Young people must have the information, knowledge, skills and commodities they need to protect themselves from infection and to lead healthy lives.

 Young people need a supportive and enabling environment with social norms that reinforce positive behaviors across generations: Local and global communities, governments, civil society, and young people themselves have a responsibility to make this environment a reality. Young people’s experiences are diverse and many find themselves in circumstances that greatly limit their ability to practice safer sexual behavior, even with access to sexual health information. Poverty, gender inequality, racial and ethnic discrimination, homophobia and transphobia, education inequality, homelessness, substance abuse, transactional sex, and sexual violence must be addressed in partnership with young people. Clear, comprehensive data on how HIV affects young people is needed. In all national censuses and health surveys, data must at the minimum be disaggregated by age, sex and sub-population. Such data, once available, will inform policies and programmes making them more effective.

Global, Regional and Local message
 Young people Most-at-risk: Young people constitute a significant percentage of most-at-risk populations in several countries. Interventions should specifically target vulnerable and most-risk groups of young people who are often at the centre of HIV transmission. Many young people are particularly at risk of becoming infected with HIV because of the situations in which they live, learn and earn; as a result of the behaviors they adopt, or are forced to adopt because of social, cultural or economic factors. Limited amount of focus is placed on young people most-at-risk, which is a factor which is contributing to their vulnerability to HIV. The three groups most at risk of becoming infected with HIV: young sex workers, young injecting drug users and young men who have sex with men. Many of these young people live on the fringes of society, and are unlikely to be reached by interventions implemented through schools, health services or the media.

 Young people have knowledge, skills, and creative energy to make an invaluable contribution to the HIV and AIDS response, and must be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of HIV and AIDS programs and policies that affect their lives. Young people must have access to capacity building and leadership opportunities to facilitate their active contributions and be trained and empowered with skills to spread the information they have gained to their peers. This is particularly true for those young people most affected by the epidemic.

 Criminalization of HIV - The evidence shows that criminalization of behaviors and communities (most-at-risk population). Many governments persist in implementing policies which have no proven public health benefits (travel and residency restrictions for PLHIV, mandatory testing for migrants denial of health care for prisoners in direct violation of prisoners rights and an over-simplistic and ideological approach to while law and policy reform were often cited as solution, law and policy reform won’t work if it is not enforced or the enforcers are the perpetration of violence.

Our first dispatch since the redesign, this issue addresses languages and multiculturalism. Discuss the themes of language, culture, and magic with us here

The side session organized by SaciWATERs at the World Water Forum 5 called for generating visible demand for interdisciplinary studies on water in South Asia with a focus on creating a cadre of women water professionals to combat the ‘masculinity’ of current water sector

The side event titled Up-scaling IWRM Education in South Asia: Which boundaries to cross? was organized by SaciWATERs for the Crossing Boundaries Project in Feshane Lale Hall 5 at the World Water Forum 5, Istanbul, Turkey. The session evaluated the current status of water resources education, assess the demand for interdisciplinary water professionals and identify challenges, opportunities, and new initiatives in the realm of higher education for water resources in South Asia through the findings of the study titled “Strengthening IWRM Education in South Asia; Which Boundaries to Cross?”. Prof. S Janakarajan, President, SaciWATERs, welcomed the panel members and the session speakers and briefly described the purpose of the Crossing Boundaries Project, an endeavour of SaciWATERs with six partner institutions in four South Asian countries, to bring a paradigm shift in water resources management education in South Asia. Dr. Peter Mollinga, Convener, SaciWATERs, initiated the session by briefing the participants on the objectives of the study which was to review the progress of the Project’s initiative and to determine whether higher education system in South Asia was responding to the reforms generated by the Project.

Dr. Vishal Narain, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Governance, Management Development Institute (MDI), Delhi, further elaborated on the findings of the Study in North India by tracing the changing perceptions of IWRM among water professionals and emphasized the fact that though there is a demand for IWRM water professionals in the Government sector, a visible demand still needs to be created. Dr Nimal Gunawardena, Professor, Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and Steering Committee Member, Cap-Net, Sri lanka, followed with a brief presentation on the status of the IWRM Education Programme in the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Ms. Nazmun Naher Mita, South Asia Water (SAWA) Fellow, Masters in IWRM, Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh, shared her personal experience of being one of the first female students to take up the IWRM course in South Asia with the help of SAWA Fellowship provided by the Crossing Boundaries Project.

Following this, the three panelists, Dr. Shahbaz Khan, Chief, Sustainable Water Resources Development & Management Section, Division of Water Sciences, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO, Paris, France, Dr. Paul Taylor, Director, Cap-Net, Pretoria, South Africa, and Dr. Joke Muylwijk, Executive Director, Gender & Water Alliance, The Netherlands, provided their comments and insights on the study. Dr. Khan shared his vision of IWRM programme gaining a stronghold in the higher education sector. However he also expressed his disappointment in the Draft Istanbul Ministerial Statement of the World Water Forum 5, 2009 which he regretfully pointed out, focused on the technical aspect of water management ignoring the socio-cultural constraints of implementing a change. He emphasized the urgent need to press the interdisciplinary approach to water resources management. Dr. Paul Taylor, congratulated SaciWATERs and the partners of the Crossing Boundaries Project for the remarkable progress made in promoting IWRM Education in region and further emphasized the need for capacity building of higher level water professionals. Dr. Joke Muylwijk lauded the report but also pointed out the lack of comprehensive gender-segregated data. The participants of the session followed with various questions and comments on the issues of gender, capacity building of not only technocrats but also of social scientists and extending the programme to other countries of South Asia especially Pakistan.

The side session organized by SaciWATERs at the World Water Forum 5 called for generating visible demand for interdisciplinary studies on water in South Asia with a focus on creating a cadre of women water professionals to combat the ‘masculinity’ of current water sector

The side event titled Up-scaling IWRM Education in South Asia: Which boundaries to cross? was organized by SaciWATERs for the Crossing Boundaries Project in Feshane Lale Hall 5 at the World Water Forum 5, Istanbul, Turkey. The session evaluated the current status of water resources education, assess the demand for interdisciplinary water professionals and identify challenges, opportunities, and new initiatives in the realm of higher education for water resources in South Asia through the findings of the study titled “Strengthening IWRM Education in South Asia; Which Boundaries to Cross?”. Prof. S Janakarajan, President, SaciWATERs, welcomed the panel members and the session speakers and briefly described the purpose of the Crossing Boundaries Project, an endeavour of SaciWATERs with six partner institutions in four South Asian countries, to bring a paradigm shift in water resources management education in South Asia. Dr. Peter Mollinga, Convener, SaciWATERs, initiated the session by briefing the participants on the objectives of the study which was to review the progress of the Project’s initiative and to determine whether higher education system in South Asia was responding to the reforms generated by the Project.

Dr. Vishal Narain, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Governance, Management Development Institute (MDI), Delhi, further elaborated on the findings of the Study in North India by tracing the changing perceptions of IWRM among water professionals and emphasized the fact that though there is a demand for IWRM water professionals in the Government sector, a visible demand still needs to be created. Dr Nimal Gunawardena, Professor, Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and Steering Committee Member, Cap-Net, Sri lanka, followed with a brief presentation on the status of the IWRM Education Programme in the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Ms. Nazmun Naher Mita, South Asia Water (SAWA) Fellow, Masters in IWRM, Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh, shared her personal experience of being one of the first female students to take up the IWRM course in South Asia with the help of SAWA Fellowship provided by the Crossing Boundaries Project.

Following this, the three panelists, Dr. Shahbaz Khan, Chief, Sustainable Water Resources Development & Management Section, Division of Water Sciences, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO, Paris, France, Dr. Paul Taylor, Director, Cap-Net, Pretoria, South Africa, and Dr. Joke Muylwijk, Executive Director, Gender & Water Alliance, The Netherlands, provided their comments and insights on the study. Dr. Khan shared his vision of IWRM programme gaining a stronghold in the higher education sector. However he also expressed his disappointment in the Draft Istanbul Ministerial Statement of the World Water Forum 5, 2009 which he regretfully pointed out, focused on the technical aspect of water management ignoring the socio-cultural constraints of implementing a change. He emphasized the urgent need to press the interdisciplinary approach to water resources management. Dr. Paul Taylor, congratulated SaciWATERs and the partners of the Crossing Boundaries Project for the remarkable progress made in promoting IWRM Education in region and further emphasized the need for capacity building of higher level water professionals. Dr. Joke Muylwijk lauded the report but also pointed out the lack of comprehensive gender-segregated data. The participants of the session followed with various questions and comments on the issues of gender, capacity building of not only technocrats but also of social scientists and extending the programme to other countries of South Asia especially Pakistan.


http://saciwaters.wordpress.com/

"अरु दिन झन् प्रशस्त जोडी देखिने यो दिन टन्नै होला है भनेको त खाशै जोडी देखिन नि.. " - सौरभ यस्तै अड्कल वाजी काट्दै, हाँसो र खुशीका बीचमा एक हुल जत्था लिएर ट्रेकिङको लागि शिवपुरी राष्ट्रिय निकुञ्ज छिर्दै थिए । अघोषित रुपमा यात्राको गाइड चाँहि सौरभ र रघु थिए । यिनीहरु जोसिदै भन्दै थिए, ग्रुप बवाल मिलेको छ, हामी जता नि जान सक्छौ है, यो अलि extreme हाइकिङ हुन्छ । उनीहरुका फुर्ति, फार्ति नै वेग्लै थियो । हाईकिङ शुरु भयो सौरभ अघि अघि हामी पछि पछि.... extreme हाइकिङ भनेर होला, उनीहरुले बाटो सबै शटकट रोजे । हामी सबै हिडन थाल्यौ तर के बीस मिनेट हिडेको के थियो मेरो र सुरथको त हालत खराव... पछि परियो बा । अरु युवाहरु भने मानिस नहिडेको भर्जिन एरिया हिड्नु पर्छ, भनेर साँची नै कोही नहिडेको एरिया, जुन गार्‍हो छ, त्यही एरिया हिड्थे । तर कुनै बेला त आपत नै पारि दिन्थ्यो, लाग्थ्यो कि रक climbing नै गरिरहेछु कि क्या हो जस्तो । रघु वीच वीचमा refreshment गर्नको लागि फोटो, भिडियो खिच्थ्यो । अनि यो बाघको विष्ट हो, यो हरिणको भनेर हामीलाई भन्थ्यो, त्यस माथि पनि जंगलमा कसरी सरभाइभ हुने टिप्स सिकाउथ्यो । फेरि केहिछिन पछि उकालो पनि तेर्सोमा जस्तो घोडा कुदाई कुद्नुपथ्र्यो । कही अलि अचम्मको अजङको रुख, ढुंगा, लहारो वा अरु कुनै अनौठौ कुरा देख्यो कि रघु चढ्न वा एक्सपेरिमेण्ट गर्न कोसिस गरि हाल्थ्यो, अनि सौरभ त्यसलाई साथ दिन्थ्यो, साँची नै नेचरको त किसिमको थियो, सुरथ हाम्रो पुर्खहरु वाँदर, अनि वाँदरको पूर्खाहरु चाहि रघु हो कि क्या हो, भन्दै प्रतिक्रिया जनाउथ्यो, अनि रेवती प्रभु भन्दै त्यो गजल्टिएको कपाललाई खोलेर त्यो कोही नहिड्ने बाटो हिडदा साची नै अनुभव चाही नौलो थियो, कतिको लागि.... बाटो निस्कन्छ त !!! वनभोजवालाहरुको हुल... हामी यी जत्थाले अलि हाम्रो यात्रालाई विथोल्छ कि भनेर हामी दौड्यो, दौडमा सौरभ निकै माजले दौडिन्थ्यो । अनि
जादै गर्दा त वाघद्धार नआई पुग्दै सुरज मित्र भोकले लखतरन भई सकेछ ।

अनि शिवपुरी बाबाको आश्रममा निर पुगेर लुछाचुडी गरि सातु, तरकारी, पाउरोटी खायौ सुरथ मात्रै भनेको त सबलाई पो भोक लागेछ, भोक मिठो कि भोजन भन्ने कुरा उखान साँची नै सम्झन योग्य भयो त्यति बेला । अनि अनेक पोज दिदै हामी उकालो के चढ्न लाग्या त हाम्रो गाइड सौरभलाई पेट दुख्यो भन्छ त बा... केहिछिनको विश्राम पछि हामी अगाडी बढ्यौ अनि लालीगुराँस फूलके देख्यो रघु लालिगुराँस टिप्न रुखमा चढिदियौ अनि ए फोटो खिच्न भनेर करायो पनि, रुखमै अनेक पोज थियो उसको । फुल टिप्नु के पाको थियो सौरभ मित्र प्रेम प्रस्ताव यसरी राख्नु पर्छ भनेर गफ हान्दै, फुलै लिएर दैखाउदै थिए । त्यसपछि त शिवपुरी डाडा जिन्दाबाद आइपुगेछ । सबैले लामो सास ताने अनि... के आउन पाको थियो... लखतरान....मित्रहरु लाग्थ्यो कि आफ्नै शयन कक्षमा पल्टिदै छ । जाने वित्तिकै त्यो चौरमा मरे जसरी नै पल्टि दियो, साँची नै पल्टिदाको आनन्द बेग्लै थियो । त्यति बेला कतिलाई बोल्दा नि झर्को लागि रहेको थियो ।
साँची आनन्दको अनुभुति......

केही छिन पछि ओरलो झर्‍यौ, फेरि केहि नयाँ कुरा के बाटोमा भेट्थ्यौ.... फोटोको लागि फरक फरक पोज दिई हल्थ्यौं । त्यसैमा अघिको एक जोडीलाई भेट्यो । उसले मलाई चिनेको रहेछ, बोल्यौ पनि । केहि छिन पछि सुरथ भन्दै थियो, साँच्ची नै कस्तो मेमोरेवल हुन्छ है यहाँ डेटिङ आयो भने... त्यसमा मैले नि सही थापे । ओरालो आयो, सबै दौडिन थाले । अलि सुनसानमा रघु र सौरभको प्रस्ताव योगासन गर्ने थियो, सबैले योग गरे साच्ची योगासन निकै रमाइलो भयो । अनि के हामी शिवपुरी नेर आइपुग्न लाग्यो फेरि सधैको वादविवाद पुजिबाद र कम्युनिजमको शुरु.....त्यो क्रम महाराजगञ्ज सुरथ नओर्लदा सम्म जारी... अनि केहि मुद्दा थाती राख्दै यो वर्षको प्रणय दिवस पनि प्रणय सुत्रका कुरा नगरी विदा । हेरौ अकौ साल के हुन्छ ।