Guwahati: Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) — a local organization and an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Assam — has been elected to the Executive Body of the India National Committee (INC) of IUCN, representing the North-East India region.
NEADS works at the intersection of humanitarian response, resilience building, climate action and environmental sustainability, adopting a nexus approach to address the human dimensions of environmental crises arising from both natural and human-induced disasters. The organization emphasizes community well-being through nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation, applying landscape-level strategies to address environmental and social challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Assam and the broader region.
The IUCN India National Committee functions as the national coordination platform for IUCN Member Organizations in India, fostering collaboration among government agencies, civil society groups, research institutions and community-based organizations. The Committee advances conservation, sustainable development and environmental justice in alignment with IUCN’s global mission.
Saikia’s election to the Executive Body is regarded as a recognition of his contributions to community-based conservation, climate resilience and sustainable development initiatives in Assam. Through his leadership at NEADS, he has worked to integrate environmental stewardship with humanitarian action and local livelihoods, while emphasizing indigenous knowledge, participatory governance and people-centered approaches to ecosystem protection.
In his remarks following the announcement, Tirtha Prasad Saikia said, “It is a privilege to represent the North-East region in the India National Committee of IUCN. This opportunity strengthens our collective efforts to promote community-led conservation and climate action in one of the most ecologically fragile yet culturally rich regions of the country. I look forward to collaborating with fellow members to advance a people-centered and inclusive conservation agenda.”
The wider IUCN member community has welcomed his inclusion. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, serves as both Chair and Member-Secretary of the INC Executive Body. Saikia will be working closely with the Ministry in advancing the Committee’s mandate.
