World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2019
The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) is the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It has, in its journey of 18 years, become a focal point for global leaders and practitioners to congregate at a single platform to discuss and deliberate over climatic issues of universal importance. The Summit series has emerged as the premier international event on sustainability which focusses on the global future, but with an eye on the actions in the developing world which could bend our common future. The Summit series has, over the years, brought together 47 heads of state and government, 13 Nobel laureates, ministers from 76 countries, 1600 business leaders, 1800+ speakers and over 12,000 delegates from across the world. WSDS now strives to provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community by assembling the world’s most enlightened leaders and thinkers on a single platform.
The summit was inaugurated by Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Vice President of India, at Vigyan Bhawan today in New Delhi on February 11, 2019. Mr Nitin Desai, Chairman, TERI, delivered the welcome address. This year, TERI honoured Hon’ble Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama with the Sustainable Development Leadership Award 2019 in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards sustainable development in Fiji. Delivering the inaugural address, Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu spoke about the many facets of sustainable development such as inclusive development, sustainable mobility and urbanization, energy security, waste management and green innovation. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, said, “Climate change and environmental problems are amongst the biggest challenges today. It goes without saying that these issues need to be addressed collectively by all of us before it is too late.”
The three-day Summit brought together over 2000 delegates including global leaders, policy makers, government top officials and thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy, and environment sectors. Themed on ‘Attaining the 2030 Agenda: delivering on our promise’, WSDS 2019 created action frameworks to resolve some of the most urgent challenges facing developing economies in the backdrop of climate change, including – clean oceans, transport and mobility, sustainable agriculture, climate finance, and energy transition. Its main aim is to fast-track solutions to financing development, renewable energy, sustainable value chains and other far-reaching, systemic challenges represented by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI said, “Platforms such as these are crucial for building on global best practices and ensuring that policy enables an environment that translates into tangible benefits for the world at large. We look forward to a world that is clean, green and yet viable. We need products, business models and policies to make this happen.”
WSDS 2019 saw several thematic tracks and plenary sessions covering the five key themes of Climate, Environment, Habitat, Energy, and Resource Management. Discussions focussed on, inter alia:
- Cleaning the Air in India and its Cities
- Moving Towards Cleaner Oceans
- India’s Renewable Revolution: Towards a Cleaner, Cheaper Electricity System
- Innovations in Climate Finance to Achieve Scale, Speed and Impact
- Rural Electricity Access in India: Taking a Leap from Grid Availability to Customer Service
Source: http://www.teriin.org/