Nine Indian women among global environmental leaders

(09 Mar. 2007) : While celebrating the International Women’s Day on Thursday, the United Nations Environment Programme unveiled leading female environmentalists of the world, in which at least nine Indian women figured. The list of over 100 women was drawn from across the world.
Among the Indian nominees are: Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla, both of whom suffered extensive personal tragedies in the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984. Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar, former union minister Maneka Gandhi, globally renowned sustainable development expert Vandana Shiva and head of New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain, New Delhi-based Kamla Chowdhry, the co-chair of Global Peace Initiative of Women and a student of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr Gita Sen, leading expert in gender and development and a professor at Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, and Srilatha Batliwala, an Indian feminist activist and researcher who is presently at the Harvard University, is also among the Indian nominees. Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, said, “Women are both the victims of environmental degradation and important stewards of a healthy and stable environment.”