South Asian Climate Change Journalists’ Forum in its meeting today unanimously constituted its first Executive Committee with representatives from all the eight SAARC countries as its Office Bearers and EC Members. It also finalised its Constitution unanimously after the elections.
Asish Gupta (India) and Karamot Ullah Biplob (Bangladesh) were elected as President and Executive President respectively. Asaduzzaman Samrat was elected as Secretary General and Masum Billah also from Bangladesh as the Treasurer of the Forum.
There are three Vice Presidents- Mahinda Pathirana (Sri Lanka), Shri Ram Subedi (Nepal) and Mohammad Rabnewaz Chowdhury (Pakistan). Bisma Raj Ojha (Nepal) and Rae Munavvar (Maldives) was elected to Assistant Secretary-General vacancy.
Following Members were elected to the Executive Committee-
C K Nayak, Kuntak Chatterjee, Sunit kumar Bhuyan (all from India), Rinzin Wangchuk (Bhutan), Imran Y. Choudhry, K J Faiza Gillani (Pakistan),Kelum Bandara (Sri Lanka),Pragati Dhakal (Nepal) and Rafiqul Islam Sabuj (Bangladesh).
The South Asian Climate Change Journalists’ Forum made its debut with journalists from South Asia at the World Climate Conference (COP 27) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November last year. The basic aim of the Forum is to highlight and protect the fragile environment of South Asia, the most vulnerable part of the world with both mountains and seas.