Miss Archana Soreng, Advisory Member of Climate Change, UN

 

Miss Archana Soreng, just 24 years old, young, vibrant, tribal Climate Researcher, who hails from kharia tribe, Catholic Diocese of Rourkela, from the district of Sundargarh, in Odisha. What she is today no doubt is the fruit of her hard work but she also owes much to her noble parents and grandparents who were her mentors, motivators and source of inspiration and her dreams. Her father, Lt. Mr. Bijay Kumar Soreng, was a pious deeply religious prominent Catholic Lay Leader, former president of Rourkela Diocese Catholic Mahasabha for two terms, tribal social reformer, educationalist, the former Principal of Gangpur College of Social Works. Her mother similarly, a pious religious Prominent Tribal Catholic Lay woman Leader, was the President of Rourkela Diocese Catholic Mahila Sangh for two terms, an educationalist, a teacher in St. John Mary Vianney English Medium School where Archana began her schooling. Her parents and grandparents being inspiration and role models,raised her daughter Miss Archana Soreng with vision and dreams deeply rooted in Catholic faith and Tribal Culture with good education in Catholic Schools. After her higher Secondary Education from Carmel School, Rourkela, she obtained her bachelor degree from Women’s College Patna and Master’s from Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai. During her studies she was in YCS, ICUF as well as, she was the former president, of TISS students’ Union, and was the former National Convener, of tribal Commission at Adivasi Yuva Chetna Manch; She had participated in, 66^th Session of Committee of Economic Social Cultural Rights in Geneva, UN Head Quarters, on the theme “Land and International Covenant, on Economic Social Rights”;and also participated in United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP 14 held in India in September 2-13, 2019, where she was part of the Youth Dialogue with the Executive Director of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) & UNCCD.

She has been the active member of Youth NGOs i.e. (YOUNGO), the International Youth Climate Movement which is the official youth Constituency of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is also a member of Adivasi Drishyam, a platform to document, preserve and promote the history, culture and practices of these indigenous forest dwelling communities. She is currently based at Bhubaneswar and working as Research Officer for Vasundhara (Odisha), an Action research, and policy advocacy organization, working on Natural Resources Governance, Conservation, Sustainable Livelihoods, Tribal Rights and Climate Justice. She has been interacting with the indigenous communities of Odisha and India, and understanding and documenting, the traditional and conservational knowledge and practices, of these communities, and highlighting their contribution in climate action.

We feel proud of her and are confident that she will shoulder the responsibility assigned by UN with efficiency and wisdom born of deep faith in God who has created the adorable beautiful flourishing and life giving creation, and entrusted to human beings to preserve and protect it for enhancing life; and moreover she is rooted in Tribal life, Culture and traditions that preserves, protects and promotes environment and nature,apt for combating Climate Crisis today.We wish her God’s blessings in her mission to UN.