BIG BOOST TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE!

iCONGO holds 2nd RIGHT every WRONG Conclave and Karmaveer Puraskaar

New Delhi, 25th November 2007: Eminent leaders, academicians, intellectuals, artists and Noble Laureates would once again brainstorm on the issue of Global Climate Change - one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet, on 25th and 26th of November 2007, marked as National People’s Social Justice and Action Day by iCONGO. The 2nd Right every Wrong Conclave will be held at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat in New Delhi on 25th and 26th November 2007. The theme is “Climate Change: Preparing India to Face Emerging Challenges.”

As climate change becomes a matter of global concern, this year’s Right every Wrong Conclave will focus on related issues and opportunities. The discussions will center around the impact of climate change on industry, economy, ecosystems, agriculture, rural migration, forest conservation and watershed management.

The conclave will be followed by Annual Karmaveer Puraskaar, iCONGO’s National People’s Award for Social Justice and Action that honor concerned citizens who have been and led the change they wanted. The conclave encompasses issues and opportunities vis-à-vis climate change, whether or not carbon tax be imposed on consumers, impact of climate change on ecosystems, impact of climate change on agriculture and food security, impact on rural migration, forest preservation, watershed management, sustainable development for good corporate governance and much more.

This two day National Conclave intends to empower stakeholders of the society to identify the causes and understand the significance and scale of the impact of climate change, and work out methods of dealing with it at an individual, local, national and international level.  This also provides platform for people from various backgrounds to get together and have output oriented discussions over the burning issue of climate change and the risks that India is facing due to it. By presenting a holistic picture on these issues, the Conclave will provide the society with a logical and unbiased view of the issue of climate change and the underlying solutions for the same. Networking with Corporate Heads, CSR Heads, NGO Heads and other Leaders of Change would accentuate this combine effort. Environmentalists and activists who have actually worked on these issues and are able and ready to share the truth about climate change and its expected impact would be participating in the event.

Key celebrities and leaders supporting the cause and participating in the conclave would be Pullela Gopichand (Sportsperson), Rahul Bose (Actor), Remo Fernandes (Artist), Revathy (Actor/ Film-maker), Anwesh Bose (Business Director, Dentsu) and Mamta Saikia (CSR Head, Bharti Telecom).

The artists performing live would be Bobby Cash, Remo Fernandes, Baby Benzy, Akhil Akkineni, Divakar  Singh, Imraan Khan  and Visually impaired children from Samarthanam.
Key Speakers addressing the conclave include Mr. S.V. Sista, Founding Chairman iCONGO; Jerry Almeida , Founder iCONGO; Mr. Pavan Sukhdev MD Global market Division, Deutsche Bank;  Mr. Navtej Johar, Environmentalist; Mr. Alyque Padansee, CEO, AP advertising Pvt. Ltd;Jehangir Pocha, Senior Editor, Business World;  Dr. Vandana Shiva- Founder, Navdanya, Environmentalist, Alyque Padamsee, Meera Sanyal and Latika Khaneja among others.

The 1st Curtain raiser for the Right every Wrong Conclave and Karmaveer Puraskaar was held in March 2006. The Conclave will now be organized on an annual basis, on the 25th and 26th of November by iCONGO-Confederation of NGOs based on a different theme each year. It witnessed a participation of over 500 people comprising of politicians, bureaucrats, business executives, development workers, renowned editors and concerned media luminaries, Motivational Gurus and representatives from Bilateral and Multilateral Agencies, activists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, youth leaders, children along with over 70 eminent thought leaders who had all come together to discuss social issues and understand the need for a CITIZEN MOVEMENT to come together as ONE and pledge to RIGHT every WRONG.

The conclave is more of an effort to boost the process to combat climate change by India. Unlike western societies that have waited to tackle environmental issues only after having reached a certain level of prosperity, the conclave promotes the idea that India should address them even though it is at a lower level of income. India cannot afford to wait for similar western levels of prosperity before addressing the issues. In fact, all sectors of society have to pay attention to environmental concerns. India has to go the extra mile. Civil society and NGOs should not only highlight problems but should also be in the forefront of providing solutions. The corporate sector also has to play a leading role, as there will be more economic activity by them. There should be public private participation for the creation of public goods. The land use patterns and property rights should be defined properly. Public transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management have to be managed better. Appropriate technologies for irrigation, improving water use management and public transport should be devised. There is a need to integrate climate change concerns in a sustainable development framework. India needs to create a framework for itself that the rest of the world can emulate.

ABOUT ICONGO-CONFEDERATION OF NGO’s

“Don’t just give get involved for social justice” became the motto of iCONGO when it was established in 2004, realizing the need to sensitize people about social issues, with the mission to promote Philanthropy For Social Justice where people don’t just give but get involved by holistically understanding the cause that they are passionate about and is dear to their heart. iCONGO is a cooperative hub and the membership vests in all member NGOs who are by definition credible, transparent and accountable and supporters who join to strengthen the movement. It represents NGOs working on social causes like child rights and education, community welfare, environment, wildlife and animal rights, welfare of HIV positive people, cancer patients etc. iCONGO brings together a wide cross section of VARIOUS charities, campaigns, unions, corporate and media companies, trusts and foundations, government bodies, official funding organizations, and most of all individual citizens, students, youth, children, thought leaders from all sectors and celebrities who believe in taking stands and speaking out, to form  CITIZEN action and movement of just and humane people who are united by a common belief that THE FUTURE offers a unprecedented opportunity for change in India for all Indians including the under served in sync with our constitutional pledge.

Key Projects/Work done by ICONGO :

• iCONGO has created ITEAM (Institutionalized Training, Employment and Advancement of the Marginalized)- a unique model for training the youth from the poor and under served communities.
• iCONGO plans to create a white collared work force with differently able communities in strategic alliance with NASSCOM Foundation for the BPO sector.
• iCONGO Recognition & Knowledge Program includes organizing the Social Justice and Action Conclave.
• iCONGO is the knowledge partner for the We Care Film Festival that highlights disability related issues.
• iCONGO ONE ALLIANCE specializes in consulting and advising companies on their CSR strategies and for high visibility Cause Related & Social Marketing (CSRM) campaigns.
• iCONGO is also setting up stores called CONGO SHONGO (Shops of NGOs). These retail shops will promote products exclusively made by NGOs like greeting cards, gifts, toys, fabrics, curios, handicrafts etc.