Northeastern journalist for WWFJ Guwahati: The Guwahati based freelance journalist, Nava Thakuria has been elected as an executive body member of the World Water Forum of Journalists (WWFJ). The Northeastern journalist was elected as a representative from India in the international environment journalist's organization at its 4th Global Meeting held in Dhaka (Bangladesh) on May 8-10 last. The British journalist Alex Kirby and Bangladeshi journalist Quamrul Islam Chowdhury were elected as the Chairman and Secretary General of the organization for the next 2006-2009 term. Meanwhile environment journalists from different countries including China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Cambodia, Japan, Philippines, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Netherlands, Canada, Syria, Benin, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Holland, Costa Rica, South Africa, Sweden, Mexico, USA were elected for different portfolios of the Dhaka based journalists body that was set up during the Second World Water Forum in The Hague on March 22, 2000. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists (APFEJ), one of the oldest regional professional media organization also elected its new executive body at its 17th Congress held in Dhaka recently. Mr QI Chowdhury of Bangladesh was re-elected as the chairman and Elizabeth Roxas of the Philippines was opted for the new secretary general of the organization that has been dealing with sustainable development since its inception in 1985. Others who were nominated for the next three years term of organization include Liu Guo Zheng (China), Laxaman Uprety (Nepal), Dharman Wickremartne (Sri Lanka), Nina Ratulele (Fiji), Ziyad Alawneh (Jordan), Svetlana Dylevskaya (Kazakhastan), Ivan Lim Sin Chin (Singapore), Philip Mathews ( Malaysia), Shigeyuki Okajima (Japan), Nava Thakuria (India) and Zaigham Khan (Pakistan). Freelance contributor to various media organizations like The New Nation, The Statesman, Holiday, The Hoot, Womens Feature Service, South Asian News & Feature and Mizzima News with many Guwahati based newspapers, Mr Thakuria was also selected as the fellows of Centre for Science and Environment, National Foundation for India and Ministry of Rural Development (GOI) in the last few years.
