In 1994, long before there was any formal recognition of such rights, that’s is rights as in the Forest Rights act ‘2006, The Ghad Kshetra Mahila Majdoor morcha had won significant victories – of rights of unhindered and full access to seasonal non timber forest produce, which they could collect and sell collectively to the market. This was Saharanpur district in undivided Uttar Pradesh.

The cells of what is the Union now , the then leadership looked beyond the local, understood that fight for community control over natural resources cannot be fought just locally. Became instrumental in pulling together a large section of the forest rights based disparate, disconnected movement groups on to a national platform – the birth of the NFFPFW – National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers – the Forum as it is still popularly referred to as. From its inception in 1998 till 2012, the Forum was giving a collective voice to the various islands of struggles and movements on forest rights. Very famously the Forum was dissolved through intense and extensive discussions to transform to the Union.

The formation of the Union – the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) in the Founding Conference in the famous sea side town of Puri, in Odisha, 2013 was a path breaking moment, which has created new hopes in the next Calling of the Union – to build the larger alliance of all Natural resource based communities – forest, sea, ocean, rivers, lakes, artisanal miners, traditional hand loom weavers, traditional farmers/landless peasants. Move towards Common-ing – all natural resources being under community stewardship and all of them – forest, seas, rivers, oceans, deltas, mangroves, and all others come together to build a Commons Governance frame.