Strengthening EU-India partnership on

Strengthening EU-India partnership on Disability Inclusion 

- European Disability Forum (EDF) along with Sightsavers India organised a webinar on Disability Inclusion in the attainment of SDG

- The webinar was organised as part of the EU-supported project, ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development Goals – Empowering Disabled People’s Organisations’ 

The European Disability Forum along with Sightsavers India organized a webinar on ‘Strengthening EU-India partnership on Disability Inclusion in the Attainment of SDGs: Engagement of organisations of people with disabilities in SDG localisation’. Indian Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs), European Disability Forum (EDF) members, Sightsavers, Indian and Global Disability Experts, and civil society organisations (CSOs) along with EU and State government officials participated in the virtual event.  Speakers from both India and the EU shared perceptions of people with disabilities, their role in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and localization at national and international levels.

The project behind the webinar, ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development Goals – Empowering Disabled People’s Organisations’, supported by the European Union, is being implemented since March 2018. The project's overall objective is to work towards ensuring that women and men with disabilities engage in, shape, and monitor the implementation of the SDGs in India. Along with EDF as its partner at the EU level, Sightsavers is implementing this project in 5 Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, Odisha, and Rajasthan. While working with 15 OPDs, the project intends to establish and strengthen policy dialogue and partnership between Indian OPDs and their European counterparts, the EDF.

 

In her keynote address, Cecilia Costa, Team leader – Cooperation Manager, EU Delegation to India and Bhutan, said, “Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights are at the heart of the EU’s external action: be it in the programmes and projects it funds in different parts of the world or in the policy dialogue and cooperation with partner countries, international organisations and other stakeholders. In India with whom the EU has a long-standing relation in terms of development and other cooperation, it has followed a similar approach, and this project, implemented by Sightsavers India and European Disability Forum is one such example. While much is being done, by the Government of India, Donor organisations, and civil society, much more needs to be done to achieve inclusivity.”

Sandeep Rajak - Commissioner Disability, Madhya Pradesh, said in his keynote address, “India respects the UN SDG goals, and they have been the base for our Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016. With a global to local focus, and with the support of institutions such as Sightsavers, we are striving to build an inclusive society for persons with disabilities by providing them with facilities in key areas such as education, livelihood, housing, etc.  

In his welcome address, RN Mohanty, Chief Executive Officer-Sightsavers India, said, “Extreme inequalities are divisive and undermine societies and communities. Not just income inequalities but those inequalities that exist between different groups and result from persistent patterns of discrimination, unequal rights and historic disadvantage. The 2030 agenda is a powerful framework for addressing these issues.  Working towards this, we, at Sightsavers believe that people with disabilities have an equal right to achieve their full potential, just like everyone else. I look forward to continuing this crucial partnership with EU and EDF towards our shared vision of an Equal World.”

Welcoming the audiences to the webinar, Catherine Naughton-Director of the European Disability Forum, said, “The EDF promotes the rights of persons with disability in the EU and across Europe. Since the EU is an important global development partner, donor, with an important diplomatic arm around the world, we also advocate, for the EU to be a global leader in disability inclusion development. This project with Sightsavers is a strong example of the impact the EU can have on the rights of persons with disabilities in its work around the world. We are honored to partner with India to work on disability inclusion. This partnership has also helped enrich our work in the EU. As we come to the close of the project, I hope it is a beginning of longer-term cooperation in the relationship that we will have with all of you.” 

Marion Steff, International Cooperation Manager, European Disability Forum, said, “Given the position of the EU as the only region in the world having ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, one of the largest donors of Overseas Development Assistance, and a major trade partner with India, the EU must lead by example. It must apply its leadership and champion the rights of persons with disabilities. We hope that the EU funded project between Sightsavers India and the European Disability Forum is the beginning of future promising work to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of women, men and children with disabilities in India.” 

The webinar's focus was to highlight the intersectionality of gender and disability and related project initiatives and to share best practices and experiences of localising SDGs through the Disability Inclusive Score Card (DISC) process.  Sightsavers, European Disability Forum, Together 2030, and Newcastle University, developed the Disability Inclusion Score Card (DISC) with a focus on women with disabilities as participatory monitoring and accountability mechanism. 

Archana Bhambal, Area Director, and Namrata Mehta, Programme Manager - Sightsavers India moderated a series of short sessions on key themes such as Strategies For Empowering People With Disabilities, the roadmap to implementation, and advocacy for policy implementation. Arman Ali from the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People (NCPDEP), Hussaina Bi from Mewar Viklang Samiti, Nomesh Verma from Kalyan Divyang Sangh, and Meelis Joost from the Estonian Chamber of Disabled, participated in the prorgramme. The webinar was supported with international and Indian Sign interpretation and captioning for the benefit of the participants with disabilities.

NEC, UN-Habitat and Peace Winds Japan provide

NEC, UN-Habitat and Peace Winds Japan provide thermography
camera in Kenya to prevent the spread of COVID-19

 

NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced a collaboration between NEC XON, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations programme that promotes better quality of life for all through sustainable urbanization, and Peace Winds Japan (PWJ), an NGO that provides emergency humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and development assistance. Together, the organizations are providing a thermography camera in the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement in Turkana County, Kenya, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

 

The camera is used to measure the surface body temperature of refugees and local residents living in the district and to detect persons with elevated body temperatures, thereby helping to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.

 

Through the provision of this camera, NEC will contribute to the achievement of Goal 3 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."

In northern Kenya, refugees have continued to flow in from neighboring countries, including South Sudan, for approximately thirty years, and it is difficult to predict if and when they will be able to return safely.

 

In response to this situation, UN-Habitat, with the support of the Government of Japan since 2016, has been working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Turkana County Government to develop the Kalobeyei Settlement, with a population of approximately 35,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers. 

 

This settlement aims to become a sustainable residential area that promotes the economic independence of refugees and the social integration of refugees with local residents, rather than a conventional refugee camp that focuses only on refugees.

 

Moreover, the PWJ is working in collaboration with United Nations agencies, such as UN-Habitat, to improve the living environment by constructing and repairing temporary housing, permanent housing, and sanitary facilities such as toilets.

 

Against this backdrop, the Government of Kenya banned large gatherings and closed schools in response to the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement was forced to close major facilities such as community centers, which had been used for events to build relationships among refugees, local residents, and stakeholders, as well as for vocational training.

 

Accordingly, in February 2021, with the cooperation of UN-Habitat and PWJ, NEC XON installed a thermography camera in the Kalobeyei Settlement and also conducted training on how to use it in order to resume community activities and restore operations at major facilities. The camera helps to prevent the spread of infections by measuring body surface temperatures to detect those who potentially have a fever, which enables further measures to be taken if necessary.

 

Going forward, NEC will continue to capitalize on its technologies and services in order to promote the resolution of challenging social issues. These efforts will include cooperation with UN organizations and NGOs to support the realization of safe and secure conditions throughout Africa and the rest of the world, thereby contributing to the achievement of SDGs.

 

Edelweiss Group Releases its

Edelweiss Group Releases its FY 2020 Sustainability Report

·         One of India’s first non-banks to publish a Sustainability Report

·         Sustainability Report Aligned to 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are globally accepted

·         Sustainability initiatives driven by a Council of Senior Leaders for ESG, led by a Board Director

·         Enhanced disclosures in FY20 through benchmarking against 50+ GRI standards

Edelweiss Group, one of India’s leading diversified financial services conglomerates, published its annual Sustainability Report today, reaffirming its commitment to a sustainable future. In its third edition, the report encapsulates the Group's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, providing an overview of its exigent Covid-19 efforts and sustainability disclosures, benchmarked against 50+ Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. Edelweiss has voluntarily adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework since 2018 and aligned its ESG efforts to 9 of the 17 SDGs. 

The Sustainability Report 2020 is available here. 

Edelweiss has a robust diversified platform spanning  Credit, Wealth & Asset Management, Asset Reconstruction and Insurance with sustainability practices adopted across all business functions. Addressing the needs of diverse stakeholders including employees and customers,  the Group is leveraging technology to further strengthen its operating structures, systems and processes to deliver on its sustainability commitment. As part of its efforts to institutionalize this process, an ESG Council has been appointed, comprising Senior Leaders, with Board level oversight, to meet the outlined goals.

Launching the Sustainability Report, Vidya Shah, Chairperson of the ESG Council at Edelweiss Group & CEO, EdelGive Foundation, said, “We are firm believers in doing business the ESG way. Sustainability principles are embedded in our business operations and we strive to have a positive impact on the communities we operate in. While the current report is an entirely organic effort put together by our ESG leaders and teams, these benchmarks reflect our resoluteness of purpose and our ambition to measure our progress, year on year. We seek  to get our Sustainability Report assured by an independent external advisor in the next few years, as we remain steadfast in our ESG journey.” she added.

Large Indian conglomerates and banks have adopted global sustainability reporting practices and nearly 72% of the NIFTY constituents have issued standalone sustainability reports. Beyond Nifty 50 companies, very few companies report on sustainability based on internationally accepted frameworks like GRI. Globally, asset managers and investors are increasingly looking at ESG as an important investment parameter. In India, asset managers have launched funds that target their investments towards companies that are compliant with ESG adoption. Edelweiss’s Asset Management entity (EAAA), India's largest player in Private Debt (AUM of Rs. 217 billion as of FY20) has voluntarily adopted the ESG policy, anchored to Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) and UN Global Compact's 10 principles.

Edtech venture GlobalShala aims to

Edtech venture GlobalShala aims to cultivate awareness of United Nation’s SDGs across India and around the world through the launch of their “Superhero U” competition with prizes worth $90,000

GlobalShala has opened its doors for learners around the world to showcase their talent and creativity; the competition is open for Junior (up to 18 years) and Senior (18 years to 25 years)

Edtech venture GlobalShala has recently announced the launch of their one-of-a-kind “Superhero U” competition with an aim to accelerate United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and pave the way for a new generation of responsible and sound leaders. Across countries, the winners for the same will be awarded prize money worth $90,000 which includes scholarships, internship opportunities, gift cards, and electronic gadgets. 

GlobalShala has introduced this unique competition where individuals are to invent a “Superhero” that essentially takes on universal challenges and strives to make the world a better place. In an industry first, the Superhero U competition aims to tackle the 5 P’s of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that is People, Prosperity, Planet, Partnerships, and Peace. Hence, the Superhero created should address all these goals collectively and promote prosperity while protecting the planet, the theme of the competition which is inspired by the UN’s mission. 

Talking about the competition, Anushika Jain, Founder & CEO, GlobalShala said “Taking inspiration from the United Nations, we are trying to nurture creativity to address surrounding critical sustainability challenges around the world. As per the SDG Index 2020, countries across Europe like Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Germany have set the benchmark for adept sustainability practices, India still falls back at rank 117. This needs to be improved upon immensely and therefore more events, programmes and contests need to be introduced across Asia Pacific countries to inculcate awareness about SDGs for the betterment of our society. We at GlobalShala have taken upon this challenge through an out-of-the-box approach with our “Superhero U” competition to add an element of intrigue and enthusiasm for individuals to take up the challenge. We are excited to see different local as well as global perspectives on sustainability and the challenges each of their Superhero takes on.” 

The competition has opened its doors wide for creativity and has allowed candidates to submit stories, illustrations, photo collages, and even movies that demonstrate how their Superhero use their superpowers to win the day. Moreover, GlobalShala has shattered the eligibility criteria and kept the competition open to many, split into 2 categories- Junior (up to 18 years) and Senior (18 years- 25 years). The Superhero U competition has also permitted any form of submission, whether it is individual or group-led. 

Inspired by the United Nations, GlobalShala focuses on empowering students and educators through experiential learning and education to open up hopes and dreams of lifelong learners around the world. Through the GlobalShala platform, individuals have the opportunity to participate in exciting competitions and events, have a chance to earn global scholarships, receive hands-on training through global internships as well as several certifications and recognitions. 

Link for Superhero U: https://superherou.globalshala.com

Supporting the Underprivileged in the time of

Supporting the Underprivileged in the time of the Global Pandemic: Indus Action

Rapid response strategy developed to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities

The global pandemic due to the SARS CoV-2 virus has consumed our daily lives, creating a new normal and world order. Undoubtably, the hardest hit world-wide are the under privileged.

To achieve the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero poverty, 1 million people will have to lift themselves out of poverty every week across the world. While India had lifted 271 million citizens out of poverty, the fastest rate in the last decade, the Covid-19 public health crisis continues to undo this progress and is likely to push the last half billion citizens back into extreme poverty while keeping 900 million+ Indians below the poverty line.

In response to the epidemic, the Government of India has announced welfare packages, along with an economic stimulus package to absorb the shocks to the informal and small business economy. India's own Marshall Plan is estimated to have a financial incentive of Rs 5 lakh crore to ensure economic resilience of workers and small businesses. Nearly 50% of this spending is unlikely to reach the target homes due to gaps in state capacity. Migrant workers have less access to food and housing security infrastructure, as we have seen recently from migrant protests across the country. To ensure 100% realization of this safety net for the last half billion citizens, last mile delivery speed and efficacy time delivery is the need of the hour.

Indus Action (IA) has developed a rapid response strategy to mitigate the socio-economic vulnerabilities of less fortunate citizens due to the epidemic. The main focus is to ensure that citizens are able to take advantage of emergency social security in terms of cash and in-kind transfers, causing an economic setback to their livelihoods. This is being done by pro-active outbound calling to citizens by over 2000+ motivated volunteers to ensure last mile delivery of food, health and direct benefit transfers over the past two weeks. Over 1,000 daily calls are being made in states including Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Bihar, Gujarat, MP,Maharashtra, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi to a current database of over 4.5 lac disadvantaged families.

Additionally, a national helpline has been set up to address citizen grievances across 19 States.

The solution includes a growing network of 2,000+ citizen champions, creating a national dashboard to reflect progress, daily data analytics reports and fortnightly governance reports.

General Trends:

Need/ Metric	Average*	Highest	Lowest
Lack of Food	32%	Bihar - 87%	TS – 12%
Need for Medicines	13%	Kerala - 37%	GJ – 1%
Unemployment post lock-down	42%	Delhi - 59%	UP – 31%
No access to Welfare Schemes	30%	Bihar - 73%	Chhattisgarh – 8%

* Number of respondents per State varies

1.       Access to ration is limited and food being sold is overpriced

2.       People are not sure if ‘Jan Dhan’ accounts have been credited with money due

3.       Landlords have not eased rent dues

4.       Application for pension by the elderly is a challenge

5.       Distribution of ration is seeing an imbalance with some regions receiving some essentials, while some receiving just rice and salt

6.       Access to fresh vegetables and cooking oil is an issue

7.       Cab drivers working for private players cannot avail benefits applicable to cab/taxi drivers

8.       Severe lack of awareness of Welfare Schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, Garib Kalyan Yojana, Kissan Samman Yojana, etc. in which citizens can avail Direct Benefit Transfers

Given the fact that there has been a tremendous influx of leniency from citizens across the country in terms of cash and kindness, volunteers associated with Indus Action's rapid response strategy have worked to connect donors and receivers. Due to control / lock-down in many parts of the country, free and easy movement is not always possible, although necessary police permission is taken and deep logistics arrangements ensure that the nearest donor is connected to the receiver; Be it for food, medicine or other essential supplies.

Indus Action’s mission of moving 1 million+ families irreversibly out of poverty in India by 2030 is supported by Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Ernst and Young Foundation, Cisco, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Uber India and Obama Foundation, among others. This mission is driven forward by a full-time team of 55 public policy professionals across 19 States.