The EU partnered with TERI’s flagship event WSDS 2023, with inter alia Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the COP28 President-designate, Mr Simon Stiell, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Mr Bhupender Yadav, the Union Environment Minister, and Mr Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa. A written message from the Prime Minister of India was shared during the Summit.
This year’s summit focused on the umbrella theme: Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action.
The EU was very visible at the summit, with:
- Participation of the European Commissioner for Energy, Ms Kadri Simson in the Plenary Session “Towards Energy Security and Inclusive Energy Transitions” on Day 1 of WSDS, 22nd February, Wednesday from 17.30-16.30 HRS IST (video message)
- Participation of the Ambassador of the European Union to India, H.E. Mr Ugo Astuto in the Valedictory Session on Day 3, Friday 24 February from 17.00-18.30 HRS IST
Video recording of the valedictory session: Link
The European Union also supported four thematic sessions on Thursday, 23rd February and participated in the youth plenary session on Friday, 24th February.
The four thematic sessions were:
- Towards People-Centric Smart City Development (Agenda)
Thursday, 23rd February | 11:30 am – 1:00 pm IST | Tamarind Hall, India Habitat Centre
A people-centric smart city calls for a socially just, participatory approach, where people – especially the vulnerable and marginalized groups of society – are empowered to shape and co-create urban interventions in collaboration with the government, and technology acts as a vehicle to achieve the same. This session provided a platform for diverse stakeholders leading the inclusive city development to share their experiences and best practices in integrating participatory approaches in smart city solutions and showcased their ongoing initiatives.
Link to the video recording.
- The relevance of the Energy Efficiency First Principle in an Indian context (Agenda)
Thursday, 23rd February | 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm IST | Jacaranda Hall I, India Habitat Centre
Energy Efficiency is often underestimated in existing planning and investment programs. The principle also puts forth the ‘save before you build’ philosophy. This thematic session with the objectives to support India's clean energy transition roadmap and to support in formulating guidelines that can accelerate adoption of energy efficiency first principle in India.
Link to the video recording.
- Urban Public Transportation Aiding Net-Zero Emission Target (Agenda)
Thursday, February 23, | 2:00 pm – 15:30 pm IST | Tamarind Hall, India Habitat Centre
Urban mobility has a significant role in the overall city development, where cities are considered vertices of economic growth. Panelists for the thematic track included experts, including key stakeholders from government and nongovernmental organizations, academia, business, and private sectors. The key issues for discussion during the thematic track was structured around experiences, challenges, and solutions from experts in the public transport sector, role of active transportation, and multi-modal integration.
Link to the video recording.
- Water Management for Climate Resilience, Biodiversity and Food security (Agenda)
Thursday, 23rd February | 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm IST | Magnolia, India Habitat Centre
This thematic session focused on the following objectives: 'Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development’ and ‘Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience and DRR’. In the lead up to the first UN Water conference, this EU-India session contributed to align and prepare the positions and the announced actions to accelerate action on water management for climate resilience, biodiversity, and food security, with views to achieve a water-resilient future.
Link to the video recording.
There were also two exhibition booths, one on the Youth Climate Conclave and one on the different EU-India partnerships in the area of sustainable development.