Asian Social Forum 2003

Section Header (H4)

The Asian Social Forum (ASF) was held in Hyderabad, India, from January 2 - 7, 2003, as part of the regional meetings of the World Social Forum. CIEL and the Environmental Justice Initiative organized a workshop at the ASF titled "Environmental Justice: Linking Human Well-Being and the Environment" on January 6, 2003. The workshop was organized to discuss the concept of environmental justice and promote it in different forums. Participants came from diverse backgrounds and largely consisted of grassroots activists, NGOs and lawyers.

The workshop built on a conversation that began in Sariska, India during December 2002 (see below) between North Americans and South Asians on issues of environmental justice. Its main rationale was to discuss and consider opportunities to ameliorate tensions between the environmental and human rights movements in South Asia. This included identifying fundamental connections between environmental and social issues, and commencing efforts to build broad-based coalitions linking the two movements. Participants engaged in discussions on the importance of public participation in decision-making, disclosure of and access to information, particularly environmental impact assessments, impacts of environmental laws on human rights and well-being, and the questionable role of the courts in dispensing justice. Alternatives to legal remedies were discussed as well as processes to achieve real justice for the people, such as public hearings and public enquiries.

For more information on the Asian Social Forum, see: www.wsfindia.org, or contact Kristen Genovese.