High Level Policy Dialogue
on
From Periphery to Mainstream: North East India’s Development Pathways
organized by
India Water Foundation
on
12th September 2025, 12-13HRS (Geneva Time) (HYBRID)
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.
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