“Think. Eat. Save.” The theme of this year’s World Environment Day was taken up by the ‘ 2013 World Environment Congress’ organized by the Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The event saw many school students and teachers standing up for the cause of sustainable development and ‘Food For All’. A number of activists were felicitated for their contributions to the cause of the environment.
 
Delivering the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNIC New Delhi’s Director said, “The theme of this years’ World Environment Day focuses on food security and sustainable development. We live in a world of plenty where demand surpasses supply. There are millions who go without food every day. There is a need to ensure equity in the distribution of food and make food systems sustainable, ensuring food for all. This is the vision of the ‘Zero Hunger Challenge’ launched last year.”
 

The challenge requires comprehensive efforts to ensure that every man, woman and child enjoy their Right to Adequate Food; women are empowered; priority is given to family farming; and food systems everywhere are sustainable and resilient.
 
The Director also encouraged the students to take up these goals. “You are our hope for the future and you are best placed to achieve them,” she added.
 

Women and children are particularly affected by disasters. They are displaced from their homes and find themselves in a hostile environment with no access to proper sanitation, gender-specific facilities, and are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation during such times.
 
With a view to addressing these challenges, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) along with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) formulated the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Disasters, a manual focusing on women and children during disasters and consisting of life saving interventions designed to reduce morbidity and mortality. The manual was prepared after a year-long series of consultations with various stakeholders, academic experts, specialists and government officials.
 
UNIC New Delhi provided technical and substantive support for the preparation of an animation film highlighting the benefits of the manual and a video message by actress Priyanka Chopra. There was also a video message by Ms. Chopra.
 
Launching the manual, UNFPA Country Director Frederika Meijer said women faced unique health challenges during disasters, ranging from hygiene to pregnancy-related complications.  Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, shed light on some alarming statistics on the situation of women and children during and disasters. “In times of disaster, children and women are most vulnerable. This initiative is certainly going to be an important tool to tackle disaster situations in the country.”
 
UN Resident Coordinator Lise Grande applauded the government’s efforts over the past 10 years to deal with natural disasters. Other countries should follow this example, she said, as the manual “asks and answers the right questions”.
 
M. Shashidhar Reddy, Vice-Chairman, NDMA, delivered the keynote address and thanked UNPA and other agencies for their collaboration with NDMA. “We look forward to working with the UN system to bring to India what has been internationally accepted and improve the standards to deal with disaster management,” he said.

“Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time. This year’s International Day of Families is an occasion to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family. ” This was the essence of the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the International Day of Families, which was observed at UN House in New Delhi on 15 May.
 
Organized by the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse, the Development (INPEA), the Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (DWRF) and UNIC New Delhi, the observance included a poster competition for school children on ‘Intergenerational Solidarity’ and a seminar on that theme.
 
The judges for the poster competition – UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, historian and social activist Dr. Prem Lata and artist Seema Pandey – were struck by the quality of the poster designs. “I am astounded at the understanding the children have shown regarding the theme and how splendidly they have managed to portray the message of the Day,” said Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman after the prize-giving ceremony.
 
In her address, Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman said that for her, ‘intergenerational’ also meant the strong bonds between grandparents and grandchildren. “Grandparents are the cement that keeps families together when there are disputes at the level of parents and children.”

But, she added, “the relationships between children and their parents are also facing major challenges in the changing attitudes and socio economic conditions today, and we all need to work very hard on those relationships.”
 
The seminar saw an interesting discussion on the need to connect across generations. Educationist and Principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road, Ameeta Mulla Wattal, focused on the role of education in promoting intergenerational solidarity, the spirit of service and the need for empathy, understanding and dialogue. Psychiatrist and child development activist Dr. Jitendra Nagpal spoke about the special characteristics of the Indian family unit and the manner in which it reinforces basic human values such as trust, compassion and selflessness. Human and intergenerational bonding were the true markers of happiness, not Gross Domestic Product, he added.
 
The Chief Guest, T.R. Meena, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment emphasized the need for communicating “with the head and the heart”. Managing intergenerational relations, particularly between parents and children, is about maintaining a balance between discipline and freedom, he said. “We need to be ‘empowering parents’.” Mr. Meena described some of the initiatives taken by his ministry, including the formulation of policies on the elderly such as social security, financial security and healthcare. He also urged the students to study the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, aimed at ensuring the well-being and security of senior citizens.
 
INPEA (Asia) Chair and DWRF Managing Trustee Mala Kapur Shankardass welcomed the guests and also delivered the vote of thanks. The theme for the Day was apt, she said, one that highlighted the need to address social and economic exclusion and to strengthen programmes and policies for that purpose.

 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.
 
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 UNESCO-supported 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.
 
The inaugural session saw presentations by UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, UNESCO Director and Representative for India Shigeru Aoyagi and IRRAD Chief Executive Officer Jane E. Schukoske.
 
“These are exciting times for the media in India,” remarked Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman. “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?”
 
“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.”
 
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 important role of creating spaces for rural voices,” she added.
 
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, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, the panel discussed the capacity of alternative media to empower rural and marginalized communities 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.
 
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.