Queen Diambi Kabatusuila arrives in Guwahati for the Balipara Foundation’s 12th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum

HRH Queen Diambi Kabatusuila, traditional ruler of the Bakwa Luntu people of Kasaï in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in Guwahati today, ahead of the 12th edition of the Balipara Foundation’s Eastern Himalayan NaturenomicsTM Forum to be hosted on 26th& 27th November in Guwahati, where she will be one of the leading voices delivering a leadership address on Evangelising the Third Pole.
Her Royal Highness was crowned Queen of the Bakwa Luntu people in 2016 and since then, has been crowned Queen Mother of the Bantu People of Brazil and the title of Grande Mãe do Povo Bantu do Brazil, Honorary Queen to the people of Brazil. Through her organisation, the Elikia Hope Foundation, she has created access to clean water, medical resources & education for 40,000 children in Kinshasa. HRH Queen Diambi Kabatusuila is also an ardent environmentalist, pursuing causes such as the elimination of plastics and plastic waste – and evangelising the cause of the rich, dense rainforests of the Congo Basin.
These forests span an area of over 1.1 million square kilometers and are the second largest rainforests in the world after the Amazon Rainforest. In 2024, these forests remained amongst the last few ecosystems with net sequestration of carbon – while the Amazon has become a net emitter due to wildfires and rampant logging – making them vital to the global climate fight along with key ecosystems like the Third Pole.

“Bringing the Third Pole to the global stage is essential if we want to ensure the survival of not just South Asia, but our planet,” said Ranjit Barthakur, Founder of the Balipara Foundation. “Our vision for this year’s forum is to build ties with global communities with shared struggles, especially with the Congo, whose rainforests are so important for the global agenda for biodiversity and climate.”
She will be joining 80 leaders from 15 countries to discuss The Future of the Third Pole & the Eastern Himalaya exploring the need for urgent action on climate and action in the Third Pole for the future of climate systems and the lives, livelihoods and watersheds for billions across South and Southeast Asia, through its glaciers. The Forum will host insights from leading global voices on climate such as Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, Spencer Low, the Regional Sustainability Head of Google Asia Pacific in Singapore and Dia Mirza, UN Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). They will be joined by key leading figures from India’s corporate and environmental sector such as Kaizad Bharucha, Deputy Managing Director – HDFC, Chanakya Chaudhury, VP – Corporate Services at Tata Steel, Praveer Sinha, MD & CEO – Tata Power and Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Director General – The Energy & Resources Institute.
The 12th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum concludes with the Balipara Foundation Awards on 27th November, celebrating the success stories of 14 grassroots leaders in protecting and restoring the biocultural heritage of the Eastern Himalaya.