For the third consecutive year, The Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE) is proud to be associated as the principal partner with CMS VATAVARAN, India’s premier Environment and Wildlife Film festival. The support to the 5th CMS VATAVARAN Environment & Wildlife Film Festival reflects the Norwegian Governments’ commitment to promoting the environmental agenda, working for sustainable development and its dedication towards strengthening the ties between India and Norway. The Festival is also supported by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), along with several others including- corporate, development and media partners.
The theme for the 5th CMS VATAVARAN – Environment and Wildlife Film Festival this year is ‘Climate Change and Sustainable Technologies’. The focus is ‘Natural Heritage Conservation’. One event highlighting the theme of the festival will be a two-day Workshop on ‘Climate Change and Sustainable Technologies’ scheduled for October 29-30 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. RNE is engaging some of its partners (both Indian and Norwegian), in the workshop. For example, a representation from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), involved in a major joint research project with Bioforsk, Norway, to assess the climate variability and its impacts on the water availability and rice production systems in the Cauvery river basin of Tamil Nadu will highlight Norway’s involvement in sustainable development of agriculture and food security.
The International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) is organising its annual congress parallel to the festival at the same venue and will have representation from two of Norway’s leading newspapers. The theme of the congress will be "Bridging North-South Differences in Reporting Climate Change: Journalists' Role in Reaching an Agreement at COP15 in Copenhagen". Also, a one–day Energy Yatra to Rampura Village near Jhansi will take twenty Environmental Journalists to see the Norwegian initiative for electrifying rural India and making Rampura Village energy self- sufficient through the installation of the solar energy plants.
RNE will also exhibit the Norwegian Government’s policy on Climate Change through an exhibition aimed to sensitize the public to the causes and effects of climate change, addressing innovations in various fields and demonstrating best practices and solutions. The exhibition will be a five day event at the festival.
CMS VATAVARAN 2009 will have twenty-two concurrently organised programmes (workshops, exhibitions, seminar, symposium, panorama and film screenings). It will also be a venue for networking and experience sharing attracting over a thousand experts, scientists, academicians, environmental journalists, filmmakers and conservationists from India and overseas.