Championing Sustainability in the Asia Pacific Region

The role of the Ambassador is a new feature of the Green Action Fund which provides high-level regional support and guidance to grantees. Why did you take on the role of the ambassador?

Hope keeps everyone moving!

GAW Ambassador for the Asia Pacific region! Wow! This is what I felt when I was offered the role and without thinking twice, I accepted. Consumer Voice has been involved in GAW since 2014. In my amazing journey with the community, I have learnt a lot. Be it through our seed distribution programme to farmers, organic farming solutions or soft toys exchange for children, it has been a fantastic experience learning from community members from across the globe. The experience has allowed us to exchange ideas and apply them in practical form to various campaign activities. It has been fantastic for me to be a part of GAW. Most important is that we all have contributed towards sustainable consumption to make the world a better place.

Why is Green Action Week important for the Asia Pacific region and how does it help address the issues your region faces?

In the Asia Pacific region, grantees are trying to address various challenges, such as how to tackle plastic pollution and reduce its burden in India. Consumer VOICE will be organising workshops uniting women, school children and youth in India to disseminate information on plastic usage and sustainable products. Moreover, Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) India will build on its former success in releasing inspiring video appeals to promote the sharing of goods between target groups to extend the lifetime of products. In Nepal, to create a common platform of exchange for former GAW participants, SEWA Nepal will connect local artisans, women and youth-led social enterprises to young entrepreneurs to give them access to the market.

Pakistan has been grappling with extreme inflation for months, with the country’s consumer price index rising to 13% in January this year, the highest in two years. As a result, poverty has been on the rise in the country, deteriorating standards of living and making basic goods unaffordable. In this challenging context, The Network in Pakistan will be entirely focussed on addressing the issue by illustrating the fact that in addition to managing supply and demand at the macro level, a consumer-centric price management system needs to be developed that includes all three tiers of government – federal, provincial and district. The Network's media campaign has already captured the attention of policy makers. The day after the campaign started, the Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting of the Price Control and Monitoring Authority. He stated that price mechanism and supply maintenance have to go in parallel.

Based on your involvement in Green Action Week, what have you been inspired by?

I often think back to a village visit I made during one Green Action Week where the women initially refused to participate. However, when we explained why we were there, they came onboard and were keen to share the ways their families contribute to sustainable consumption.

They told me how much they value planting trees and the special meaning they place on certain plants due to their medicinal qualities. They also shared the traditional ways they turn kitchen waste into compost. We encouraged them to share experiences, exchange ideas and various methods in larger groups to inspire other members of the community, especially young women and girls. One of the women shared her story about her experience of harmful pesticides and the impact these have on soil. She witnessed first-hand how a fertile agricultural land turned into a barren land due to excessive use of pesticides. Consequently, she emphasised “we are all responsible for the environment and we must ensure that we preserve it for the future generations”.

In all our workshops, we design and execute activities to give equal opportunities to women to participate. We believe that women have a considerable influence within their families and can change the family’s habits. It is therefore very important to understand their perspective and involve them in whatever way we can.