India now claims superpower status as a nuclear weapons state and nearly double-digit economic growth. In contrast to these signs of progress we have the dubious distinction of being on the wrong side of other indicators of human development—maternal mortality, female infanticide and foeticide, and deaths due to preventable diseases, to name several. India’s progress is uneven: while she is developing world-class technology and services; she also has has the world’s largest number of poor and illiterate people. For many, freedom—in its true sense—is yet to dawn. For these people, the struggle continues.

To make progress towards poverty reduction and sustainable development we must understand how local, regional and international decision-making serve the people. The Governance and Development project explored  grassroots development initiatives and how they can generate more inclusive and participatory decision-making processes as well as governance structures and mechanisms.

Capacity development is the process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capability to achieve their own development objectives. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) helps people to access the knowledge, experience and resources they need to build better lives.

…a workshop at the Congress called “Sharing Our Acts of Caring:  Susila Dharma in Our Daily Lives”.  Attendees reported examples of their own personal volunteer work and discussed the significance of this work in their lives…