"Collected Speeches and Essays"

The Europe India Chamber of Commerce hold a reception in the European Parliament Member's restaurant at 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday 21st March 2006 , to launch a new book of "Collected Speeches and Essays" by Nirj Deva, MEP, published by the European parliament. Nirj Deva is Hon. Life President of the Europe India Chamber of Commerce, and this book contains a speech which he gave in February 2006 to a meeting of 2 million people in Bangalore. He is the first person to be born in one continent (Asia), to be elected to parliament in another continent (UK) and then elected to a multi-national Parliament (the European Parliament). He was born in 1948 in Sri Lanka to a Catholic family of Rajasthani descent. He is Ambassador-at-Large for Sri Lanka, and has been awarded the title of "Vishwa Keerthi Sri Lanka Abhimani" in recognition of his services to Sri Lanka. He speaks Sinhalese and English, and is married to Indra - a French-speaking Mauritian, and has one son. He is very much a citizen of the modern world.

In the European Parliament he represents the South-East of England, and has focussed on Overseas Development and Foreign Affairs. He served as coordinator for the majority EPP-ED party on the Development Committee, and is the Rapporteur for the Committee’s Report on the European Union’s multi-billion dollar Development Budget for 2005 and 2006.

In this book Nirj Deva introduces a new concept, which he calls the "Common Sphere." He discusses Corporate Social Responsibility, and the role of the private sector in Development, and proposes a new architecture for Trade and Development. He focuses on the importance of rice for the developing world, and confronts the difficult question of Child Labour, which exists in so many countries.

He reflects on the increasingly important relationship between Islam and the West, and he considers the role which the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin can play in world security issues. The controversial question of humanitarian intervention is also discussed.

In this book Nirj Deva presents his ideas for the reform of the United Nations, and for the role of the UN in Overseas Development. In April 2005 he led the European Parliament’s delegation to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York, and delivered a paper on the future of the United Nations at the US Council on Foreign Relations. In July 2005 he led the European Parliament’s delegation to the UN High-level Conference on Global Aid Funding. In September 2005 he was Co-Chairman (with Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France) of the European Parliaments' Delegation to the World Summit at the United Nations 60th General Assembly.