International Meet On Climate Change 2015 at Imphal : 2nd Day Report

Organising Committee *

TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL MEET ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Organised by
Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University,
Regional Campus, Manipur

In Collaboration with
United NGOs Mission, Manipur;
Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur &
Biodiversity Ecology & Environment Network, Manipur

Date: 22 – 23, September 2015
Venue: Lamyanba Shanglen, Imphal East

The second and last day of the TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL MEET ON CLIMATE CHANGE organised by the Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus, Manipur in collaboration with the United NGOs Mission, Manipur; Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur & Biodiversity Ecology & Environment Network, Manipur was held on September 23, 2015 at Lamyanba Shanglen, Imphal East.

In the first technical session entitled, "Politics of Climate Change", which was Chaired by Dr. RK Ranjan, Manipur Association for Science and Society, 4(four) resource persons presented papers.

Dr. Dieter Reinhardlt, Wall University for Applied Science, Heidelberg, Germany presented a paper titled, "Future Impact of Climate Change on Brahmaputra River System: International Law and Transboundary River Systems". Dr Laifungbam Devabrata, Centre for Organisation Education and Research, Imphal presented a paper on "International Climate Negotiations and Developing Countries".

Prof. Anja Desiree Senz, Heidelberg University, Germany spoke on "Climate Change and Environmental Problems in China: Public Debates and Role of Non-State Actors (NGOs) in Environmental Politics". Finally, Nobo Urikhimbam from the United NGOs Mission, Manipur presented a paper on "Climate Change and Politics".

The last technical session titled, "Issues and Challenges of Climate Change" was Chaired by Dr. Dhanabir Laishram in which 10 resource persons presented papers.

Way Forward and Valedictory Function of the International Meet was Chaired by Dr. RK Ranjan, Manipur Association for Science and Society. There was distribution of certificate and Declaration of the Meet. Text of the Declaration is given below.

Declaration
Imphal, the 23rd September, 2015

After two days of INTERNATIONAL MEET ON CLIMATE CHANGE organised by the Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus, Manipur in Collaboration with United NGOs Mission, Manipur; Centre for Research and Advocacy and Manipur & Biodiversity Ecology & Environment Network, Manipur held on September 22–23, 2015 at the Lamyanba Shanglen, Imphal, Manipur, the gathering in a single voice endorsed that global warming and climate change is threat and challenge to humankind.

In this context, for the people living in the Indo-Burma Mega Bio-diversity Hot Spot Zone, the threat is more acute as most of the development projects have been taken up without development justice resulting in upset of the eco-system services. Further, lack of alternative livelihood means for the people in this region have also aggravated the situation of climate change.

The Meet having deliberated on different aspects of climate change came to the conclusion that positive interventions need to be contributed to the ongoing movement on climate change. To scale up and strengthen the above mentioned goal, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted.

1. To establish a Consortium on Climate Change – modality, nature and scope to be framed at an appropriate and emergent time
2. To endorse the significance of indigenous knowledge and cultural practices
3. To promote endemic species, cultivars and gene pool as medium for combating climate change