What’s New in the Indian Charter Lands?

 In 2007, “WIZ kids” competition involving 133,300 8 to 16 year-olds resulted in children’s own writing of the Indian Children’s Charter of Social and Environmental Responsibilities. Winners made a cultural-exchange trip to Philippines, then wrote to the President of India about the CHR. An awareness campaign was organized by 433 students and teachers. The Activ8 Foundation will use the CHR as guidelines for its Eradicate Poverty campaign. In association with the Activ8 Foundation, the CHR was introduced in the convention of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement. At a political science faculty seminar at Gulbarga University, the CHR was a reference in discussions on ethical and social responsibilities of business entrepreneurs and civil society. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...

 Four meetings were held with Indian Lawyers Association, Hyderabad Karnataka Chapter in Gulbarga with regard to CHR. Two seminars at Gulbarga were held on fundamental rights and Right to Information. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...

 People’s charters including the CHR will be distributed to the 700 participants from 30 Civil Society Organizations that gathered for a Civil Society Summit in August 2006. The CHR has been distributed to the staff of Actionaid, India. The CHR is being used as a strategic approach in democratic leadership training for grassroots-community women by 10 NGOs in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...

 A one-day training session was held on “Environmental education in the schools” for 85 teachers from 35 schools in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with the NGO Sahajeevan. The teachers formulated the Charter of Professional Responsibilities. The Environment & Responsibility program in the schools is feasible in India: preliminary discussions on introducing Environmental Education in the State schools based on the Brazilian model took place with the Deputy Chairman of Karnataka State planning Commission. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...

 The CHR India facilitation team has networked successfully in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, with the South Asia Peace Alliance, in Japan, and with the India-China Youth Cultural Exchange program in Bangalore. The CHR team also participated in a conference on An Economy in the Service of Society, the Asia Forum for Solidarity Economy, film screening on the environment in the schools in Manila, and in the South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...

 Participation in the Regional Media Workshop on Nonviolent Transformation where the CHR was distributed among about 40 journalists from South Asian countries. A large number of personalities have decided to include the CHR in their work and dissemination processes. http://www.charte-responsabilites-h...