Paris Peace Forum: 5 projects selected from India

As many as five projects were selected from India for inclusion in the Paris Peace Forum, which is set to be hosted by the French government in Paris from November 11-13.

This year, out of a total 850 projects from 116 countries, under five themes-peace and security, environment, development, new technologies, and inclusive economy-which were considered for inclusion in the Forum, 120 projects from 42 countries and 10 international organizations were finally selected.

The five projects which have been selected from India include:

? ACT project by Earth5R: Seeks to improve the quality of the environment, and reduce plastic waste via new sustainable business models.

? Zero-budget Natural Farming by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh: This project enables farmers to improve soil fertility, reduce costs, reduce irrigation, and increase yield while preserving the quality of the production.

? Decentralized electricity network based on solar energy over blockchain by NIMRAY-Solar.

? Network of Southern Think Thanks: A collaborative academic forum for the South by the South which aims at generating, consolidating and sharing knowledge on South-South co-operation with an approach to international development.

? STAR C (Solar Technology Application Resource-Center) by International Solar Alliance: Aims at building a network of technical training and research centers in order to promote knowledge dissemination and capacity-building with regards to solar energy and infrastructure projects.

Heads of State and heads of Governments of over 50 countries and their representatives are expected to participate in the centenary activities. As part of the Armistice Centenary, the French government will be hosting the Paris Peace Forum, which will take place in Paris from November 11-13.

The aim of the Paris Peace Forum is to establish a global platform to reaffirm the importance of multilateralism, international cooperation and reformation of global governance institutions.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will attend the ceremony on Sunday to commemorate the Armistice of World War I at Arc de Triomphe, presided over by French President Emmanuel Macron. Vice President Naidu will later speak at a high-level panel discussion titled "Dialogue of the Continents on Global Governance."

The Paris Peace Forum will provide a platform for discussion and debate with special emphasis on civil society initiatives and for sharing experiences and innovative solutions/projects involving all stakeholders in governance.