GIWA Joins UNICEF India at UNCCD-COP-14

An important and vital interfaith panel brought together HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan, Co-Founder/Chair of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) and Founder of the Ganga Action Parivar (GAP),  and Core GIWA Faith Leaders Maulana Mahmood Madaniji, Secretary General, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Sardar Paramjit Chandhokji, Chairman of Delhi Gurudwara Bangla Saheb. The session was chaired by Secretary-General of GIWA Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji and was the grand finale of a high level UNICEF Event entitled Achieving Climate Resilient Results for Children at the UNCCD-COP14: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification at the India Expo Centre in Noida.

Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji emphasized, “Mother Earth is sacred. She does not need us but we need Her. She can survive without us, but we cannot survive without Her. Therefore protecting the Earth, our air, our water and our land is essential for us and our future. If there is No Water there will be No Peace. When there is More Water there will be More Peace. This is the reason we have always included faith leaders in our efforts at Ganga Action Parivar, and why we are now  bringing faith leaders and faith based organisations together in GIWA to lead and be the change that is needed in the world. We have just undertaken a week of Hariyali Yatra across several places of India planting thousands of trees, bringing communities together and inspiring millions to plant at least 11 trees during this monsoon season. We all must act and we must act now – for this our togetherness is key.”

Maulana Mahmood Madaniji, meanwhile, shared, “We must create a world where we have a cleaner environment both outside as well as inside of ourselves. It’s the pollution in our minds that creates hate in our communities and pollution of our environment. I strongly believe that in order to make sound decisions for our future we must connect with the real leaders and those who are most affected by these decisions. This is why GIWA is working on the ground to bridge the gap and address the lack of awareness and education. We are committed to working together and actually working on the ground and with the communities, the farmers, the women and the children to bring a brighter and more sustainable future for all.”