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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->One-day Consultation on
Addressing Social Equity in Achieving MDGs

OneWorld South Asia initiative on Equity and Social Justice
OneWorld South Asia an international organization recently initiated a programme on
Equity and Social Justice under its Knowledge for Development (K4D)
programme. The K4D attempts to build over number of Communities of Practice (COPs) by facilitating multistakeholders dialogues among key organisations engaged in achieving the MDGs. Integrating knowledge into ongoing development practices, the initiative on Equity and Social Justice is to address all round developmental issues of Dalits, Adiwasis and Minority Communities in a holistic manner and attempts to facilitate sharing and learning among COPs through both online and face-to-face interactions with a view to taking collective action for pro-poor policy changes. The major aims and objectives of this initiatives are to initiate action research for relevant knowledge on discrimination, social exclusion and deprivation of socially marginalized groups; debate focusing on discrimination, social exclusion and human rights of socially marginalized groups; develop partnerships and functional linkages through providing and sharing the knowledge for initiating action on public policies and contribute in transforming egalitarian social order into practice and advocate and campaign for promoting social inclusion, protecting human rights and prosper human development.

In this process we are planning to have a National Consultation on Addressing Social Equity in Achieving MDGs at  OneWorld South Asia, C 5, Qutab Institutional Area,  New Delhi  – 110 016 on Wednesday 22 March, 2006.

Background Note for Consultation
Equality and Justice are fundamental principle underlined in the UN Millennium Declaration, where about 190 heads of state and representatives of the Government declared and adopted the time bound goals for combating extreme poverty and hunger. On the basis of the principle, the Declaration further outlines set of inter-connected and mutually reinforcing goals, which include eight broad global agenda of human development popularly known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).


After 5 years the progress reports on MDGs often looked at national level. But the achievement in MDGs Indictors significantly varies within countries are as stark as the variation or gap between countries. These gaps reflect inequality in opportunity – people held back because of their gender, group identity (race, caste ethnicity and religion etc.). Such inequalities are unjust (HDR 2005).
The MDGs very often conceptualized at national level. But the achievement in MDGs Indictors significantly varies within countries are as stark as the variation or gap between countries. These gaps reflect inequality in opportunity – people held back because of their gender, group identity (race, caste ethnicity and religion etc.). Such inequalities are unjust (HDR 2005).
In order to address these issues and advocate for equity and social justice, we are planning to have one-day National Level Consultation on Addressing Social Equity in Achieving MDGs. This discussion tries to deals in a holistic manner with all round developmental issues of Dalits, Tribes, Women, Disabled, Children and other Minority Communities. The discussion would focus on the issues such as:
 Why Equity – for growth, productivity, for religious morality and for social justice (Theoretical framework/evidence to understand importance of equity perspective in development)
 Whether there is equity among different social groups with reference to MDGs Indicators and whether progress equally affected or benefited the all section of population groups
 Public Policy – constitutional rights and government intervention 
 Challenges – human rights violation and atrocity on dalits and communal violence
 Solutions – right to development, social inclusion and empowerment
Through this and other interventions, we hope to enrich the equity perspective in development and programmes of various stakeholders from different sectors including government, non-government, and public sector. We believe that your presence will provide this critical input into our endeavour.
More about our initiative please visit our website contains rich amount of knowledge base resources and advocacy materials: http://socialjustice.ekduniya.net/
Thanking you and looking forward to your presence and participation.  Please confirm you participation to s.venkatesan@oneworld.net (mob: 9868464212)

Best regards,
 
Dr.B.Shadrach
Director

And

S. Venkatesan
Knowledge for Development (Equity and Social Justice)


 

One-day Consultation on
Addressing Social Equity in Achieving MDGs

Wednesday, March 22
OneWorld South Asia
C-5, Qutab Institutional Area
New Delhi

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Registration

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Opening Remarks

– Dr. B. Shadrach, Director - Meeting Objective and Brief Introduction

– Address on (equity and development – understanding relationships)

– Address by CSO (social equity – as human rights)

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Tea Break

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Plenary Discussion – addressing challenges to achieve social equity in MDGs
Tentatively (5 members would be in the plenary)

Social inequality in MDGs:  unequal progress and persisting social disparity in India, by S. Venkatesan, OWSA

Dalits Satiation in Urban India by Ravi Patel, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Dr. Dileep Kumar, Dalits Women and Human Rights Violation – Grass Root Reality

Open discussion

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Group discussion- Social Equity in Achieving MDGs
Statistics to Solutions
Public action- polices/programme – Role of Civil Societies/ NGOs
Challenges – human rights violation and atrocity on dalits and communal violence
Statistics to Solutions – right to development, social inclusion and empowerment

3:30-4.00 p.m. Tea

4.00-5:00 p.m Presentation / Open discussion

5.00 p.m. Closing Comments
Dr. Nilay Ranjan (OWSA K4D - Education)

One-day Consultation on
Addressing Social Equity in Achieving MDGs

Wednesday, March 22
OneWorld South Asia
C-5, Qutab Institutional Area
New Delhi

Participants   Organization     Address
 
1. Antony Arulraj  CBCI Centre     New Delhi

2. Ramit Basu   National Social Watch Coalition  New Delhi

4. Rati Singh   Abhyudaya     New Delhi

5. E.ANBAN   BLIA      Chennai

6. VT Rajshekar  Dalit Voice     Bangalore

7. Dr. Umakant  HCDHR     New Delhi

8. Dr. Dillip Kumar  ISI      New Delhi

9. Kadirvellan   Peoples Watch     Madurai

10. Vimalanathan  NESA      Bangalroe

11. Babu Lal Sharma   Gandhi Peace Foundation   New Delhi

12. Prof. R.P Nath  IARASJ                  Aurangabad

13. Dr Priyadarshini Vijaisri
Center for the Study of Developing Societies,    New Delhi

14. Ravindra R. Patil  Jamia Millia      New Delhi

15. Shantanu Dutta  EHA      New Delhi

16. Moosa  On Dalit issues from Eastern U.P.

17. Mehar Chand on Health  from Western U.P.

18. Ramesh Shukla on Adivasis and Land Rights from Bundelkhand

19. Tanveer from Central U.P.

20. Utkarsh Sinha on Farmers and Agriculture from Tarai

21. Rajendra on Land reforms and land rights from Kaimoor Region

22. Dr. Dillip Kumar, ISI, New Delhi

23. B Mani,  REED Trust, Nagapattinam

24. Dinesh Suna, Policy Officer, CASA

25. J. Vijay, Cooperative Outreach of India, New Delhi

26. Monica Raina, Solution Exchange, NUDP, New Delhi

27. M Mahamallik, IIDS, New Delhi

28. R.ARUL, PASUMAI THAAYAGAM (Green Mother Land), CHENNAI

30. Rajni Tilak, NACDOR, New Delhi

31. Santhos Samle, Dalit Foundation, New Delhi

32. Dr. M.P. Rane, BSS India, New Delhi.

33. Prof. Sushma Yadev, IIPA, New Delhi.

34. Dinesh Agrawal, NTPC, New Delhi

35. NTPC, New Delhi.

36. Ratna M Sudarshan, ISST, New Delhi

37. Dr.Belinda Bennet Christian Aid, New Delhi

38. B. Muralidaran, Oxfam New Delhi

39. Vineeth Kumar, New Delhi

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