United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), the leading environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, has discussed the Rally for Rivers, initiated by Isha Foundation here, its vision, objective and implementation.

The UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim discussed the matter with the Isha Foundation Founder Sadhguru and lauded its success and welcomed him by saying, “an Indian leader is here today who has inspired any number of Indians to take care of the great rivers of India.”

“Fascinating conversation with Sadhguru on ‘planting trees in people’s minds.’ Increasing green cover, tree-based agriculture and private investment in irrigation are critical to saving our rivers,” Solheim said at Global Landscapes Forum, one of the foremost international ecological forums, at Bonn last week.

“The most important aspect of starting a positive movement is moving away from abstract ideas and towards real issues that concern
people. If you make it about the people, they will naturally take up to it. The immense support Rally for Rivers has received is deeply rooted in people’s trust. To become that voice which is trusted and is not a vested interest has been the hallmark of the campaign.”
said Sadhguru.

The member nations of the forum lauded the Rally for Rivers initiative which received support from 160 million people, making it one of the world’s biggest and most successful ecological campaigns, a Foundation release said today.

The Forum is led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), United Nations Environment, the World Bank and the Government of Germany.

In another development, a month after the nationwide Rally for Rivers campaign, the Central government has set up a group under NITI Aayog to examine the suggestions in detail and prepare an action plan for revitalisation of rivers across India, it said.

The Foundation has signed MoUs with governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Assam and Chhattisgarh, seeking to revitalize the rivers in those states, and also to create a peoples’movement that has the objective of planting tens of crores
of trees. On-ground project planning process has been commenced in Maharashtra.