Kishan Devani BEM a politician, consultant and educator whose work has been pioneering in the area of community-cohesion, has been honoured with being appointed Hon. Vice President of the Green Liberal Democrats.
The Green Liberal Democrats are the environmental conscience of the Liberal Democrats. They promote a green approach to policy formation within the Liberal Democrats. They provide information and political education from a green perspective to Party activists and elected representatives. They establish and develop links with the wider green movement across the Globe.
One of the youngest BAME Freemen of the City of London as well as a seasoned politician, consultant and educator, his work has been pioneering in the area of community cohesion within the British-Asian community. Since leaving university ten years ago, he has engaged young Asian people to get involved in British civic life through talks at schools, colleges and universities, with the aim of inspiring them to join the fields of politics, education and social service.He has previously served as Deputy Chairman of the London Conservative Party, becoming the youngest politician of ethnic minority background to be appointed to the role, before leaving to join the Liberal Democrats. He now serves as a Board Member of the Lib Dems and Vice President of the Liberal Democrats Campaign for Race Equality. A passionate campaigner for equality and inclusion, he has worked closely with British Asians to build community links in London and beyond, as well as working with young people at risk of radicalisation.
Kishan was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen in Her New Years Honour’s List 2020 with the BEM (British Empire Medal) for Services to Community Cohesion. Kishan was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2015 and was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London – making him one of the youngest BAME Freemans of London. He was the Deputy Chairman (Membership and Finance) of the Entire London Conservative Party. he sat on the National Association Finance Board of the Conservative Party. In addition to this, he was the Chairman of Conservative Way Forward’s Treasurers Committee. He stood for Parliament in 2015 for the Constituency of Leicester East and has previously stood for Council elections in 2014.
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As well as this, he was a candidate for the Greater London Assembly for the elections in 2016. Kishan left the Conservative Party in 2017 & joined the Liberal Democrat Party due to Brexit & their Anti-Immigrant outlook – he was appointed to be a Treasurers Envoy for the Party by Lord Michael German the party’s Treasurer. He was also appointed to the Racial Equality Working Group of the party. Kishan was appointed Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats Campaign for Race Equality (LDCRE). Kishan was also elected Vice-Chairman of Liberal Democrats in Business. Kishan was also the Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Candidate for Montgomeryshire in the 2019 General Election.
Kishan was also appointed Ambassador of the REC (Religious Education Council of England and Wales) & is Advisor to The Unity of Faiths Foundation. Kishan Devani BEM was also appointed Associate Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations. During his time there, he will have a particular focus on Geopolitics and Diplomacy.
Kishan Devani BEM has expressed his pleasure in accepting the honorary role of Vice President of the Green Lib Dems and said “It is a great honour to be appointed Honorary Vice President of the Green Liberal Democrats. As someone who lives a Vegetarian lifestyle and comes from a Hindu background, I fundamentally believe in the Verse from Hindu Scriptures: “Vasudeva Kutumbakam – The Whole World (The entire creation) is One Family”. Hence to be appointed as Hon. Vice President is a matter of personal pride and I shall look to assist the Green agenda going forward both within the Liberal Democrats, across the UK and Internationally”.
Keith Melton said “Green Liberal Democrats’ Chair, Keith Melton, said: “We are delighted to have Kishan join GLD as Honorary Vice President. Kishan’s excellent work on community cohesion (for which he was
awarded the British Empire Medal in 2020) and racial equality, together with his tireless campaigning will be of great value as we reach out to our diverse community of Liberal Democrat activists.”
Kishan Devani BEM joins two other distinguished individuals in becoming Honorary Vice Presidents chosen by the Green Liberal Democrats
– Former Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder, and Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP for Bath.
“One of the great myths of environmentalism,” said Keith Melton “…is that it is often thought of as the exclusive reserve of the white middle classes. In fact, as has been discovered with coronavirus too, all communities are affected by environmental damage, whether it is loss of biodiversity, or pollution, or Climate Change. Part of our role as the environmental conscience of the Liberal Democrats, is to challenge false perceptions about the impact of these problems across all ethnicities.”
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our generation. Countries around the world urgently need to implement the commitments made in 2015 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. The UK needs to be a leader in this social and technological transition and the Green Liberal Democrats seek to influence political policies at a local and national level. Kishan Devani BEM shall play a vital role in enabling the Green Liberal Democrats to be at the forefront of national and International Green Agendas.
