Context and Rationale

The Northeast region of India spanning the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim has long grappled with a distinct set of challenges, including geographical isolation, inadequate infrastructure, fragile ecosystems, limited livelihood opportunities, and underdeveloped institutional capacities. These structural constraints have been further compounded by socio-political complexities, climate vulnerability, human rights violation and persistent issues of integration and inclusion. Ethnicity has played a profound and multifaceted role in shaping the region’s social, political, and developmental trajectories.

In response, the Government of India has adopted a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to address the region’s unique needs. By recognizing and respecting the distinct cultural and historical context of the Northeast, the government has implemented a blend of constitutional safeguards, political negotiations, localization and integration of Sustainable Development Goals, and targeted development initiatives through various programmes and schemes aimed at fostering peace, inclusivity, and socio-economic transformation. Measures such as infrastructure investments through the Ministry of DoNER and the Act East Policy have laid the foundation for more integrated and sustainable development.

Within this landscape, Meghalaya and Sikkim have emerged as frontrunners, pioneering inclusive and context-specific models of development. These states exemplify a holistic approach to water security, natural resource management, and livelihood generation by centering community participation, revitalizing traditional knowledge, and fostering partnerships among government, communities, civil society, donor agencies, and national and international institutions.

The India Water Foundation (IWF) has consistently highlighted the inseparable connection between water, human health, and human development, with profound impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods. To empower vulnerable Indigenous and ethnic communities, IWF advocates for ecosystem-based solutions that complement local ecological and cultural systems, while promoting people-centric policies across health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure.

Through our key inputs, governments have successfully fostered alternative livelihoods for native communities, mitigating unemployment, insurgency, unsustainable mining practices, and distress migration, while reducing poverty, advancing gender inclusion, and improving socio-economic and environmental indicators. This transformation has significantly strengthened state economies and demonstrated that the health of people cannot be sustained without the health of the planet. The Northeast’s experience thus offers valuable lessons on how integrated, ecosystem-based development models can drive inclusive growth, climate resilience, and holistic well-being, forming the foundation of resilient communities.

Objective

This dialogue offers an opportunity to reflect on and draw from such successful models and best practices particularly those championed by these states which underscore the journey of the Northeast from periphery to mainstream in India’s development narrative and can set a precedent for global South.

 

Eminent Speaker

 

Dr. Arvind Kumar
 Ms. Mikiko Tanaka
Dr. Arvind Kumar is a strategist and key-influencer in development sector with more than 30+ years of experience as an author, columnist, Water and Human Rights Pro-activist, and specializes in concepts like ecosystem-based adaptation, water-energy-food nexus, with specific emphasis on Transversal approach of inter-linkages between water, environment and SDGs. He has published over 500 plus research articles and several books. He is a proud recipient of Achievers Award for his contribution to the Environment from International Human Rights Organization in collaboration with United Nations Information Centre, India.
 Ms. Mikiko Tanaka is the Director and Head of ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia in New Delhi, bringing over 25 years of experience within the United Nations system. She served as UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, where she led strategic dialogues, coordinated UN Country Team efforts for the 2030 Agenda, supported the Voluntary National Review, and guided socio-economic policy responses to COVID-19. Her earlier roles include UNDP leadership positions in Yemen, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Benin, China, and Lao PDR. Before joining the UN, she worked with an NGO in Thailand and in Japan’s financial sector. She holds master’s degrees in public policy and rural development management and a bachelor’s from International Christian University.
Mr. Satya S. Tripathi Dr. Pema Gyamtsho

Mr. Satya S. Tripathi, a development economist, lawyer, and changemaker with over 40 years of experience, is Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, New York, and Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar. He serves on the Global Steering Group of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative, the Paris Peace Forum Jury, and as Trustee of Water Unite. A former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UN Environment’s New York Office, he held key UN roles in Bosnia, Cyprus, Indonesia, and Aceh. He helped establish the TLFF in 2016 and SIFF in 2017, advancing transformative finance for sustainability.

 

 Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, has over three decades of service with the Royal Government of Bhutan in natural resource management, agriculture, forestry, livestock, food systems, biodiversity conservation, and climate change. As Minister of Agriculture and Forests, he spearheaded the enactment of more than 60 legislations and facilitated the formation of over 400 farmers’ groups and cooperatives. He previously led ICIMOD’s policy, partnerships, and regional rangeland initiatives. A strong advocate of participatory development, rural livelihoods, and organic farming, Dr. Gyamtsho holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.

 
Prof. Eddy J. Moors Mr. Vinod Mishra
Prof. Eddy J. Moors is Rector of IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and Professor of Water and Climate at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. He began his career with the World Meteorological Organization in Africa and the Caribbean and later worked at Wageningen Environmental Research. He chairs the Global Network of Water Museums, SENSE research school, and Water4All Advisory Board, while serving on boards of the Just Digit Foundation and World Water Council. An editor for leading journals, he has (co-)authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and numerous professional publications.

His research focuses on water, climate change, adaptation, and interdisciplinary solutions, emphasizing global capacity development.

 

 Mr. Vinod Mishra has over 30 years of experience, including two decades in the water and sanitation sector, specializing in project management, capacity building, and WASH program support at district, state, and national levels. As UNOPS Team Leader, he developed the implementation strategy of the WSSCC project to support the Swachh Bharat Mission (2014–2019). His recent work focuses on policy advocacy for equity, inclusion, and collective behaviour change, alongside capacity building, research, and rapid learning. Currently Country Manager, UNOPS India, he leads projects on water supply (Jal Jeevan Mission), sanitation, health, and circular economy. He holds postgraduate and MBA degrees.

 
Ms. Shweta Tyagi
Ms. Shweta Tyagi is Chief Functionary, India Water Foundation. She is results-focused development sector professional with a 23 years of demonstrated history and a proven ability to manage project teams to deliver multiple projects and programmes across diverse sectors of sustainable Development, Water and Sanitation, Social Development, Livelihood Generation, climate change etc.  Excellent knowledge of project management and strategic planning of partnership creation and coordination, as well as advising decision-makers and strengthening capacities. Experience of Natural Resource management among rural communities for implementing.

To download a digital copy of a Booklet on “Periphery to Mainstream: North East India’s Development Pathways”. Please Scan

For more information please contact-

Ms. Shweta Tyagi

Chief Functionary

India Water Foundation

Email:  shweta.tyagi@indiawaterfoundation.org

Mobile:  +91 9899819074