Operation : Cooperation
Posted on 01. Dec, 2010 by Leela Raina in India
Three weeks ago , I was sitting in surroundings of beaches, but at a place just a few hours away from home, in Sri Lanka for a South Asian Youth Summit on Climate Change in Colombo. Ever since Copenhagen I saw great potential in the South Asian Movement which could break the stereotypes and come together to lead the climate movement worldwide. Although South Asia comes from different situations and backgrounds with Least developed countries, advanced developing countries, those in the mountain negotiating group and some from the AOSIS Alliance of small island states as well . Despite our differences we share a lot of commonalities - from our colonial history to our struggles for independence to our vulnerability to climate change impacts - the Indian Subcontinent is not exactly the same but very similar.
I feel just more than just the geographical and climate related similarities, we have similar cultures, understand each other better and bond like we were neighbors literally. We mostly understand each others’ language and also have similar mentalities. While the population of India overshadows that of its neighbors, India is slowly learning to take its neighbors into consideration.
South Asian Youth Summit on climate change 2010
The youth summit focused on the adaptation issue and also on capacity building and giving structure to the network. We worked in a ‘mess work’ format to create the breakthrough conditions for sustaining the network, taking responsibilities and drafting proposals for future action. Apart from highly exciting proposals of new media, documentaries and green radio, the proposal I am most keen to work on is the SAARC Action plan. The youth will draft a document with deliverables and ask for official recognition and participation in the SAARC secretariat. This is even more significant now that SAARC is officially tabled as an observer state in the UNFCCC Secretariat.
You can find more about the SAYSOCC 2010 here.
Who are the SAARC?
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organization of South Asian nations, founded in 1985 and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasizing collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007. Meetings of heads of state are usually scheduled annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice annually. Headquarters are in Kathmandu, Nepal. Many countries also participate as observers, like Iran, Mauritius, Japan, Burma etc.
SAARC’s main objectives as defined in the Charter
- to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life;
- to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential;
- to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia;
- to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems;
- to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields;
- to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries;
- to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest; and
- to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes.
SAARC and the environment
Since 1987, the Heads of State or Government of SAARC at successive Summits have reiterated the need to strengthen and intensify regional cooperation to preserve, protect and manage the diverse and fragile eco-systems of the region including the need to address the challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters. The Leaders noted that the development process and prospects of the Member States were being severely undermined by these challenges.
You can see all the intiatives taken each year here but the latest initiative has been the Thimpu declaration.
Sixteenth SAARC Summit, Thimphu, 28-29 April 2010
Climate Change was the theme of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit (Thimphu, 28-29 April 2010) and, among others, the Heads of State or Government of SAARC adopted the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change which outlines a number of important initiatives to strengthen and intensity regional cooperation to address the adverse effects of climate change in a focused manner.
A SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment was also signed by the Ministers of Foreign/External Affairs of Member States during the Sixteenth SAARC Summit. The Convention provides for cooperation in the field of environment and sustainable development through exchange of best practices and knowledge, capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology in a wide range of areas related to the environment. The implementation of the Convention has been entrusted to a Governing Council, comprising of the Environment Ministers of Member States. The Convention will enter into force after it has been ratified by all Member States.
SAARC Youth Award
Every year SAARC invites applications from the youth of the region to provide suitable recognition to extra-ordinary young talents and encourage the overall development of the youth in the region. The theme of the Award - 2010 has been decided as “Outstanding Contribution to protection of Environment and Mitigating Effects of Climate Change”. Applications are being processed at the moment.
What would this mean for the UNFCCC process?
Although adding the SAARC as an observer state was proposed by Bhutan , but it would be extremely interesting to see how differences in levels of vulnerability amongst the south asian subcontinent play out considering that India will need to respect and take with itself its neighbours too. They particluiarly mentioned interest in securing and protecting the future of mountain ecosystems. I sincerely wish that the mandate expands beyond that and the island state of AOSIS gets its opportunity to be heard once again , this time making India stand up for it too!
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Roselin Dey
Negotiator Tracker - Leela Raina
Leela is a young climate activist with an undergraduate degree in Economics. She has pioneered youth involvement, awareness and movements across India through her work with the Indian Youth Climate Network. A policy enthusiast, Leela loves to research and get to the bottom of the problem to resolve it. She is currently the South Asian Focal Point for IYCN and believes in the capacity of the south asian youth to usher in and lead the way towards sustainable economic growth.... read more»
Read more of Leela's posts here.
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