Guwahati, August 27: A senior scientist of Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org), Dr Partha Jyoti Das, who heads the organisation’s Water, Climate, and Hazards (WATCH) division has been awarded the ‘Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship in Climate Change.
This three-week-long fellowship programme entails visits to and knowledge sharing with various institutions in the USA. Dr. Das, who was the only Indian to be selected in this program in this year’s cohort, has successfully completed the said program during August 5-23, 2022.
As part of this programme, Dr. Das took part in orientation sessions in the Bloomington campus of Indiana University and the Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI) during the first leg of the program. Interactive sessions undertaken by Dr. Das and his colleagues in the climate cohort included discussions on emerging frontiers of climate science; polices, planning and practices on climate resilience and sustainability in the US; local climate action through partnership of academia, local governments, non-government agencies and community; leadership building in a climate management, international negotiations, and the COP process etc. The resource persons represented academia, local environmental activists, city administration and researchers.
In the second phase of the programme, Dr. Das worked for a week with ‘Green Umbrella’, a reputed environmental organisation based in Cincinnati city, Ohio as part of a Strategic Networking Engagement (SNE). Dr. Das used this opportunity to observe, learn and understand how environmental organizations in the US are working effectively for sustainability and climate resilience by creating alliances and coalitions with local communities, city governments, non- profits, private sector, and the academia. He also contributed to the development of planning and policy documents of the Green Umbrella by providing critical review and suggestions. He interacted with high officials of the Green Umbrella and exchanged information on views on institutional governance and policy framework on climate change mitigation and adaptation in India and the USA.
The Humphrey Fellow also delivered a presentation on the pioneering work being done by Aaranyak on climate resilience through climate education, advocacy, and action.
In the last leg of the DHFP Dr. Das along with the entire cohort of Distinguished Humphrey Fellows participated in several panel discussions and a policy round tablet Washington DC on August 23, 2022. During these high-level meetings, Dr. Das interacted with officials of the State Department, US Department of Energy, Private sector representatives and development agencies like the USAID and the World Bank.
The prestigious Distinguished Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme (DHFP) promotes leadership among the international professionals who work together to address challenges and foster change for the betterment of our collective future. This growing global network shares best practices and builds expertise in fields of vital importance to society and institutions, promote human rights, ensure environmental sustainability, and build thriving communities.
