India has assumed the Presidency of G20 Group of Countries for the year 2023. Presently many events are being held across the country on various topics which have been selected by the Government of India keeping in view their importance for the general public.
Youth20 events are related to present youth affairs in general and future of youth in particular. Civil20 and Women20 events are related to gender equality and disability. All institutions, especially universities and colleges have been engaged across the country to hold events so that youth are fully engaged in the “G20 Mission”.
Among 15 institutions in the country, the Kashmir University (KU) has been selected to host the Youth20 Event. The topic chosen by KU for the Y20 Event which is being held in May 2023 is “Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life”. The Y20 Mission says Climate change and disaster risk reduction are two of the most pressing concerns facing humanity today.
In an exclusive chat with Greater Kashmir on Sunday, the VC of Kashmir University Prof Neelofer said the University is holding a Youth20 event on the theme ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’.
“The University of Kashmir has been chosen among 15 institutions in the country to host a major Y20 event which is scheduled to be attended by 25 delegates from G20 Countries, 25 national-level delegates, 12 national speakers and 08 international speakers,” she said.
According to officials, the Vice-Chancellor is personally supervising preparedness and arrangements for the Y20 event as Chairperson of the Steering Committee for Y20, which is meeting every week. The Steering Committee is overseeing all arrangements being made by other committees constituted to undertake different tasks related to the event preparedness and arrangements.
“The University has identified important departments across faculties to hold events on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified for attainment by G20 Group of Countries under India’s G20 Presidency, during the year 2023. Many such events under the umbrella of G20 and Y20 have already been held,” said an administrative official.
Giving break-up of such events held till March 18, 2023, officials said the Department of Students’ Welfare in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems Limited held a four-day theatre workshop for 30 students participants from KU’s teaching departments and affiliated colleges to expand their vision about the world using theatre as a means. The event was held from March 15-18, 2023. The participating youth, including both boys and girls, expressed their satisfaction at the workshop, saying it helped them to express themselves and learn about the basics of theatre, art and music.
The EMMRC University of Kashmir organised a two-day workshop on Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) for teachers from University and affiliated colleges under the umbrella of Y20 and G20 events. The event held on March 16-17 offered an opportunity for teachers to prepare for online teaching whose need was badly felt in situations like the Covid19 pandemic.
KU’s General Administration and Department of Social Work organised a four-day training programme on Gender Sensitisation at Workplaces from March 15-20 for male officers/officials of all levels in the University Administration.
The theme of the Programme was “Embrace Gender Equity” which is in sync with the larger theme of Civil20 Working Group on Gender Equality and Disability. The University hosted C20 Working Group Meeting on Gender Equality and Disability on February 14-15, 2023. The Department of Political Sciences KU under the banner of G20 and Y20 organised a two-day national seminar on ‘Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces’.
The ICSSR-sponsored seminar held on March 13-14 provided a platform for local and national-level experts to discuss a range of issues related to urbanisation in the country with special reference to Jammu and Kashmir.
The Student Counselling and Guidance Cell, Public Relations Centre, University of Kashmir, on March 13 organised a one-day seminar on ‘Psycho-Social Wellbeing’ under the banner of Youth20 to acquaint student participants from teaching departments about the importance of mental wellbeing, which is one of the essential sub-themes identified for Youth20 programmes in the country.
The Internal Complaints Committee of the University organised a rally and an awareness programme on ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment Against Women at Workplace’ on March 7, 2023.
“Many more events are in the pipeline to advance the country’s G20 message within and beyond theUniversity’s main and satellite campuses. Several outreach programmes are also being held for the benefit of underprivileged sections of the society,” officials said.
When asked about the University’s vision for G20, Prof Neelofar Khan said that academic institutions in the country, especially universities, have been rightly chosen to disseminate the message of the country’s G20 Presidency in the society.
“Students have great potential and ability to drive a positive social change by engaging directly with the people at grassroots with the larger message related to important themes chosen for Y20, C20 and W20 under the umbrella of India’s G20 Presidency,” she said, adding, “The Honourable Prime Minister of the country and Honourable Chancellor of our University have adequately highlighted the need to involve the country’s youth power to spread awareness on 17 SDGs which concern people’s welfare across G20 Countries. We are already in a mission mode to deliver on this commitment.”
The VC said that it is a matter of pride for all stakeholders of the University of Kashmir to be holding events related to G20.
“It is an opportunity for the University of Kashmir to position itself as a centre of excellence at the national and international level. Our faculty, officers, non-teaching staff, research scholars and students in the main campus as well as our satellite campuses in Kupwara, Baramulla and Anantnag are participating in the events very actively and contributing significantly to the cause of spreading the country’s G20 message at the community level,” she said.
To conclude, the Kashmir University took a giant leap by associating with the G20 Presidency by way of holding major events. The theme for the Youth20 event is Climate Change which everyone is experiencing. Jammu and Kashmir is prone to landslides, frequent flooding, earthquakes and other natural calamities.
The University should come up with serious solutions to all these issues during the Y20 discussions. The Vice Chancellor is right when she says youth have the power to spread awareness on 17 SDGs which concern people’s welfare across G20 Countries.
The KU has 70 affiliated colleges under it and youth from these colleges should also be included in G20 events. Those students from rural and far-off belts need such exposure and awareness so that they also spread the awareness on 17 SDGs. The authorities in the Government need to provide their full support to the Kashmir University in its events related to G20.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.
