ON Thursday, Friends of the Earth India, a network of social movements, trade unions, organisations, people’s collectives & other social environmental justice organisations, held a webinar with the objective of bringing together South Asian countries to express their solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka, and to share the perspectives from these countries on the ongoing economic and political crisis throughout the subcontinent. The webinar, titled Sri Lankan catastrophe and similar humanitarian crisis in South Asia, saw speakers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal, discussing the human rights and humanitarian issues plaguing their countries, and drawing lessons to deal with the unprecedented crisis witnessed in Sri Lanka.

The panellists included the Chairperson of the Friends of the Earth International, and the Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka, Hemantha Withanage; Former Secretary General, World Forum of Fisher People, and the Sri Lanka-based National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, Herman Kumara; Chief Executive, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, Syeda Rizwana Hasan; Economist and academic, Prof. Arun Kumar ; Convener, Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy, and the South Asia Partnership Pakistan, Mohammad Tahseen; and Executive Chair, Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public), Nepal, Dinesh Tripathi. Click here to read more.