Resource Centre for the UN in the NE

Tanuj Goswami

(tanujuri03@gmail.com)

The UNESCO Association, Guwahati was established on 20th August of 1997, presently located at a plot of land allotted by the Government of Assam in 1999 at Khanapara, Guwahati. So it is now all set to celebrate its silver jubilee on the successful completion of long twenty-five years. The Association was registered by the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, MHRD, Government of India on 1st January 1999 and by the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres & Association (WFUCA) –Paris and also by the Confederation of UNESCO Clubs, Association of India, New Delhi.

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs, under the United Nations, had accorded the Special Consultative Status to the UNESCO Association, Guwahati in the substantive session of July 2010. This status was granted under the resolution 1996/31 adopted in July 1996.

The conferment of this acclaimed status to UNESCO-Association, Guwahati (UAG) privileged it - the opportunity to actively engage with the ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council -one of the six principal organs of UN) which is headquartered in New York, and its subsidiary bodies and other agencies of the United Nation. By dint of its commendable works, the Association notched up 4th position amongst the 5000 UNESCO Club, Centres, Association in 193 countries.

The main objective of establishing of UNESCO Association is to promote knowledge about the ideals of UNESCO amongst the people, institutions, Civil Societies etc., through the medium of education, science, culture, communication and health and also on issues of global concern.

The UAG, as a part of its assigned task established UN Library/ Reading Corners at the Don Bosco School (Guwahati & Dibrugarh), Pragjyotishpur College, Guwahati College, Mirza College, Goalpara College, Kaziranga University (Jorhat) and at the District Libraries of Guwahati, Sivasagar, Dhemaji, Mongolia and in Silchar. Different sets of books, journals, and Newsletters published by agencies like the UN, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, UNDP, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund are made easily available in the Libraries.

The library corners have been a very fruitful source of rich information on varied tropics of global concern for the students, faculties, and academic institutions. At the same time, the UAG also organized quizzes, debates, and art competitions on the theme of the UN in schools, colleges and Universities. The UAG is also used to organize UN model assemblies in different schools, colleges and Institutions for the benefit of the student community.

The UAG has had the opportunity to participate in the world conferences convened by the UN- HQ in New York and UNESCO- HQ in Paris and Seoul, Russia etc. and attend special training programmes elsewhere.

As a corollary of special Consultative Status to UAG - the UN Information Centre for India & Bhutan (based in ND) established the UN Resource Centre-NER(UNRC-NER) in 2011 at Guwahati but subsequently the name has been changed to Resource Centre for UN-NER in 2017 and as a rule the CM, Assam is the Patron Director of the Centre.

The objective of the RCUN-NER is to disseminate all kinds of information related to the UN to the students, academic centres, educational institutions, Government departments and also non-governmental agencies.

The RCUN-NER organizes different seminars, workshops, and conferences on UN objectives and celebrates International Days/Events in cooperation with the educational institution, academic Centres, and Research Centres and encourages students to participate.

Further, by being an associated NGO, the UAG was entitled to designate one main and one alternate representative for UN HQ in New York, UN offices in Geneva (Switzerland) and UN offices in Vienna (Austria). Meanwhile, the said representatives are already working there and as per UN norms, they are granted UN photo ground passes which give the representative(s) access to UN facilities and to all open meetings of UN bodies where they are entitled to attend as observers.

The Secretary General of UAG was instrumental in establishing UNESCO Association in the state of Arunachal and Meghalaya and efforts are on to form such a setup in the other states of the Northeast too.

Under the directive of the UNESCO-World Heritage Centre, the Secretary General of, UAG, initiated two stakeholders meeting at the Circuit House, Guwahati in 2002 regarding the preparation of a nomination dossier for Majuli River island with the Dept of Culture, Assam as the nodal agency in close liaison with the State Government.

It needs to be mentioned that the UNESCO Country director Mr Shigeru Aoyogi came to Assam and visited Kaziranga and Majuli in the year 2013 as initiated by the then CM, Sri Tarun Gogoi and Mr Aoyogi was very impressed with the State's natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of Majuli.

On 9th December 2013, Mr Aoyogi communicated to the CM, of Assam and even desired to have an MOU signed for a collaboration between the Government of Assam and UNESCO for developing a policy and strategy for cultural and tourism promotion that included assistance from UNESCO for the nomination of Majuli as World Heritage Site. Mr Aoyogi even designated Ms Chiba Moe, Head Culture Section of UNESCO, New Delhi as a focal point in this regard. Any action from Assam's side is unknown.

The Institute of UN Studies, New Delhi (Recognised by The UNIC for India and Bhutan and WFUNA) had started the Assam Chapter in the UAG to conduct a six months correspondence Diploma course on UN and International understanding and other UN organs. Of late, due to logistical problems, the offline course was stopped but the online is being continued from New Delhi.

Again the IFUNA (Indian Federation of United Nations Association) took a resolution and proposed for setting up of a UN University at Guwahati, Assam which undoubtedly was a unique one. The IFUNA in its communication dated 03/08/2016 requested the GOA for the allotment of a 15-acre plot of land for the University. A tripartite MOU between the IFUNA, UN Office and GOI is long-awaited.

The UN Information Centre submitted a proposal to the GOA in 2012 for the construction of a world-class building for the RCUN-NER with an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore. Meanwhile, the GOA allotted a plot of land at Nazirakhat, Guwahati for the RCUN-NER at Panbari Mouza under the Sonapur Circle. No further noticeable progress is in sight.

The UAG upon direction from the UN arranged a series of discussions for the safe drinking water Project in Guwahati way back in 1998 among the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, GOA, UNESCO, UNDP and World Bank. But it is disconcerting that the project came to a cropper.

In the above backdrop, it is as clear as daylight that the UAG in active support of other UN agencies had consistently worked for the good causes of the people of Assam/Northeast which are so invaluable and salutary that the state leadership and sensible class of people should learn to leap at the opportunities for the posterity.