Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate here on Friday the 2018 edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018), the flagship forum of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The summit seeks to bring together global leaders and thinkers in the sustainable development, energy and environment sectors, a communique said.

Themed Partnerships for a Resilient Planet, WSDS 2018 aims to create action frameworks to resolve some of the most important challenges faced by developing economies in the backdrop of climate change. The summit, a global platform in the developing world to engage policy makers, researchers, think tanks, diplomats and corporates from around the world, is expected to see the participation of over 2,000 delegates, the communique said.

Discussions at WSDS 2018 will focus on collaborations aimed at influencing global dialogues on technology acquisition and financing, and on policies, which promote the accelerated uptake of resource efficient and waste minimising/reuse technologies as well as nudge consumer behaviour towards more sustainable practices.

TERI director general Ajay Mathur, said, “As India and other emerging countries develop, the choices they make, in terms of technologies, policies and business models that they adopt, can have a huge impact locally and globally. Our aim is to ensure that these choices embrace sustainability while enhancing livelihoods, lifestyles and the development narrative.”

The summit will address a wide variety of issues, including combating land degradation, effective waste management mechanisms to achieve landfill free cities, effectively combating air pollution, measures to increase resource and energy efficiency, facilitating the transition to clean energy and creating financial mechanisms to enable effective climate change mitigation.

The summit will also feature a “Greenovation Exhibition” to showcase the latest technological advancements made to meet the sustainable development goals.
Participants at the summit include Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan, commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, minister of state for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Puri among others.