Special Events
- Feb 3-4, 2014
- YUVA Meet Read more
Theme : YUVA Meet
Date : Feb 3-4, 2014
Organising Agency : TERI in support with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India
Venue : Multi-Purpose Hall, India International Centre
Contact person : Ragini Kumar
Email : ragini.kumar@teri.res.in
Concept Note
The role of youth in innovation for a better society and sustainable future is linked at multiple levels- with youth acting as contributors in development of innovative technologies, practices; youth as receiver of the impact of the technologies; youth as a link between innovation and heritage practices and youth as tomorrow’s innovators. At a time when unsustainable use of natural resources and environmental degradation have emerged as the greatest challenge that the society faces at the global, regional and local level, it is time to understand and use the existing knowledge to frame innovative solutions and action plans. With this background, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is once again organizing the YUVA (Youth Unite for Voluntary Action) Meet by bringing together young people from various parts of the world. TERI has been organizing this youth meet, annually since 2009. The YUVA Meet is a special event of DSDS (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit) and is held a day prior to the event so that the voice of the young can be heard at this major international forum. Sixth in the series, this year’s meet will be held from 3-4 February 2014 at India International Centre, Max Muller Marg, New Delhi on the theme, “Innovations for a Sustainable Future - Transforming Learning into Action”. In the last five years YUVA Meet has received support from Government of India, Delhi Government, British Council, RCE Network, United Nations University IAS, Tetra Pak India Pvt. Ltd. and Dell Global Giving. As part of the YUVA Meet, a series of State Level Youth Seminars under the theme “New Ideas for a New Tomorrow – Promoting Innovation and Youth Participation” are being organized across 7 states of the country namely Assam (Guwahati), Maharashtra (Nagpur), Uttar Pradesh (Aligarh), Odisha (Bhubaneswar), Jammu and Kashmir (Jammu), Kerala (Cochin) and Gujarat (Ahmedabad). - EU-India Brokerage Event on Bio-economy and SAHYOG Stakeholder Conference Read more
Theme : EU-India Brokerage Event on Bio-economy and SAHYOG Stakeholder Conference
Date : Feb 3-4, 2014
Time: 0900 - 1800
Organising Agency : European Commission and Department of Biotechnology, Government of India
Venue : Silver Oak, India Habitat Center
Contact person : Dr Priyangshu M Sarma
Email : priyanms@teri.res.in
Concept Note
Bio-economy has been considered as a thematic area of priority interest for scientific and industrial collaboration between Europe and India. In order to enhance this initiative, the European Commission, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and SAHYOG is jointly organising this event. This would be the first comprehensive deliberation on Bio-economy and the event aims at strengthening EU-India collaboration in the field of bio-based economy by facilitating linkages between existing projects and triggering new collaborations particularly with the industries. Around 150 attendees from academia, policy makers, funding agencies, industries, and financial institutions will deliberate on the aspects of Bio-economy.
- Feb 4-5, 2014
- Policy Conclave on Reducing Vehicular Emmissions to improve Air Quality Read more
Theme : Policy Conclave on Reducing Vehicular Emmissions to improve Air Quality
Date : Feb 4-5, 2014
Time : 1000 - 1730
Venue : Mumtaz & Roshanara Hall
Contact person : Mr Sumit Sharma
Email : sumits@teri.res.in
- Feb 4, 2014
- Accelerated dissemination of thermal biomass gasifiers in MSME's: Essential market conditions and policy requirements Read more
Theme : Accelerated dissemination of thermal biomass gasifiers in MSME's: Essential market conditions and policy requirements
Date : Feb 4, 2014
Time : 1000 -1400
Organising Agency : TERI and SDC
Venue : Magnolia, India Habitat Center
Contact person : Mr Albert Trevor
Email : albertt@teri.res.in
Concept Note
TERI is organizing a consultation workshop on 4th February 2014, at TERI, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. This consultation workshop aims to provide a platform for various stakeholders – policy makers, regulators, consumers, gasifier manufacturers, system integrators and financial institutions - to come together and discuss possible interventions to address the challenges faced by MSMEs in the adoption of biomass gasifiers. This stakeholder discussion is thus organized to discuss the need for policy-specific measures and financing incentives for MSME’s entrepreneurs and manufacturers of the biomass gasifier systems. The expected outcomes from this workshop are: 1. A clear understanding of the current status of policies in promoting the technology and its adoption among the stakeholders. 2. Devise new mechanisms at policy level for accelerated dissemination of biomass gasifiers. 3. Propose new measures and steps to be taken at state and central level specific to promote the dissemination of the thermal biomass gasifier technology.
- Feb 5, 2014
- International brainstorming session on “Barriers to, and Capacity Building Needs for, Achieving Sustainable Energy for All” Read more
Theme : International brainstorming session on “Barriers to, and Capacity Building Needs for, Achieving Sustainable Energy for All”
Date : Feb 5, 2014
Time : 0900 - 1300
Organising Agency : SE4All & TERI
Venue : Jehangir, Taj Palace Hotel
Contact person : Ms Veena
Email : veena@teri.res.in
Concept Note
Universal access to energy is an ambitious yet achievable target that would require transformation of the current energy infrastructure to ensure inclusive and participatory planning processes, better information flow, and access to appropriate financial resources. Roughly 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity while nearly a billion more depend on grids that are unreliable. The problem is further compounded by the use of inefficient end-use devices, oil- or kerosene-based lighting, and indoor pollution caused due to burning of unprocessed biomass or fossil fuels. This means a combination of lack of choice and limited access to resources severely affecting livelihoods. The UN Secretary-General’s global initiative on “Sustainable Energy for All” is primarily designed to transform the energy sector by 2030. Past experiences in many countries have clearly brought out the gaps that exist in different areas of sustainable energy dispensation as well as the transformational impacts of right kinds of capacity development. This vast body of knowledge is especially meaningful when viewed against the backdrop of capacity development as sharing of this knowledge could help countries traverse the sustainable energy pathway much faster, without everyone having to reinvent the wheel. Financing is another aspect that needs closer attention since a lot of it is expected from private sector. The present brainstorming session attempts to bring together the relevant actors and practitioners to delineate the financing and capacity needs, and to deliberate on the possible solutions. - Stakeholder Engagement to Fast Track Grid Connected Projects under JNNSN Read more
Theme : Stakeholder Engagement to Fast Track Grid Connected Projects under JNNSN
Date : Feb 5, 2014
Time : 0900 - 1335
Organising Agency : DFID and REEEP
Venue : Casuarina, IHC
Contact person : Ms Siddha Mahajan
Email : siddha.mahajan@teri.res.in
Concept Note
With support from Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), Indian solar market has seen significant changes over the last three years increasing grid connected large scale solar power plant market from 32 MW to 2080 MW, exceeding first phase targets. Despite this, the current installed capacity figure cannot be taken as a true indicator of success achieved in this mission that envisages achieving energy security through solar route and establishing India as global leader in solar energy. This stakeholder consultation would specifically focus on two major barriers in this mission, RPO regulation and REC market and land & infrastructure development. - Sustainable Consumption and Production: An overarching objective of sustainable development Read more
Theme : Sustainable Consumption and Production: An overarching objective of sustainable development
Date : Feb 5, 2014
Time : 0900 - 1800
Venue : Jacaranda 1, IHC
Contact person : Ms G Mini
Email : gmini@teri.res.in
Concept Note
As we approach 2015, the target year set by the international community for meeting the Millennium Development Goals, there is near consensus that the post 2015 period must go beyond the unfinished MDGs. In a world undergoing dangerous climatic and environmental changes, there is a widespread understanding that environmental objectives need a higher profile alongside poverty-reduction objectives. The post 2015 goals thus need to reflect an integrated view of the tripe bottom line that underlies the concept of sustainable development. And, unlike the MDGs which comprised targets mainly for developing countries, to which the developed countries promised their solidarity and assistance, the new goals need to better reflect a global commitment and approach befitting the global challenge of sustainable development. The approach to tackle the challenge of sustainable development in its entirety has timely positioned the issue of sustainable consumption and production at the core of international discussions on the post-2015 developmental agenda. Against the backdrop of current international discourse on SCP and the enormous potential that exists in different sectors of the economy to move in this direction, this special event aims at understanding, through stakeholder perspectives, some of the challenges that arise in operationalizing the concept of SCP and how these can be resolved. - Forest-based Carbon-financing Read more
Theme : Forest-based Carbon-financing
Date : Feb 5, 2014
Time : 1000 - 1400
Organising Agency : TERI, MoEF and IORA
Venue : Magnolia, India Habitat Center
Contact person : Mr Siddharth Edake
Email : siddharth.edake@teri.res.in
Concept Note
The event will deliberate on carbon-based forest-financing options such as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+). The focus will be on presentation of live case-studies from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland, followed by a panel discussion on the lessons learnt and the practical challenges in project development for compliance and voluntary markets.
- Feb 6, 2014
- Towards Realising Potential of REDD Plus in South Asia Read more
Theme : Towards Realising Potential of REDD Plus in South Asia
Date : Feb 6, 2014
Time : 1800 - 2000
Organising Agency : TERI, ICIMOD and MoEF
Venue : Jehangir, Taj Palace Hotel
Contact person : Dr J VSharma
Email : jv.sharma@teri.res.in
Concept Note
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) is an evolving international mechanism for incentivizing communities for the enhancement of forest carbon stock. The event will discuss the means and opportunities for realizing the potential of this mechanism in the South Asian context. Perspectives from India and Nepal will be presented in the event with a view to developing a shared regional understanding of the various assessment and implementation challenges.
- Feb 7, 2014
- Managing Water Security for Himalayan Communities Read more
Theme : Managing Water Security for Himalayan Communities
Date : Feb 7, 2014
Time : 1830 -2030
Organising Agency : ICIMOD & TERI
Venue : Taj Palace Hotel
Contact person : Dr Shresth Tayal
Email : stayal@teri.res.in
Concept Note
Water security is a keystone for the sustainable development of society. Increasing populations require more water for drinking, sanitation, and generation of food. A growing economy requires energy, whose production also relies on access to water. Himalayas represent a unique set of topography distinct from the lowland areas. Undulating nature of land, low-lying location of major streams, thin soil cover, rocky terrain and lack of significant groundwater availability dominate the hydrological perspectives in the Himalayan states. Most of the water available for the hill areas is through rainfall, snowfall and springs originating from the local catchments. In such a scenario, effective management of our water resources is the necessity to ensure water Security for mountain communities. - Nexus of biodiversity with food, nutritional and livelihood security Read more
Theme : Nexus of biodiversity with Food, Nutritional and Livelihood security
Date : Feb 7, 2014
Time : 1300 hrs onwards
Organising Agency : LDF & TERI
Contact person : Ms Nidhi Mehra
Email : nidhi.mehra@teri.res.in
Concept Note
TERI has initiated a project titled ‘Ushering local food, nutritional and environmental security and sustainability utilizing biodiversity through harmonization of indigenous traditional knowledge with scientific methodology in Uttarakhand’ supported by Louis Dreyfus Foundation. The objective of this study is promotion of traditional crops/knowledge and protection of local agricultural biodiversity in order to usher food security at a local level.
As a next step forward, Louis Dreyfus Foundation and TERI, with the intent to encourage dialogue on agricultural bio-conservation and set up an opportunity to explore the connect between biodiversity conservation and food and nutritional security, and finally creating a platform to share experiences of diverse stakeholders across the globe, have planned to organize a focus group discussion on “Nexus of biodiversity with food, nutritional and livelihood security” as a special event during the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit on 7 Feb, 2014.
Why does Biodiversity matter?
Bioversity international has highlighted that approximately 940 species of globally cultivated plants are threatened. With vanishing diversity, we are losing the gene pool to improve varieties or breeds which have the ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions or tolerate pest and diseases in addition to providing more nutrients. Agricultural biodiversity can provide a cost-effective and sustainable strategy for farmers and breeders to manage pests and diseases and climate change risks. Besides, it can play an important role in sustaining soil health, food and habitat for important pollinators and natural pest predators that are vital to agricultural production.
Initiatives in India
India became a signatory to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in June 1992. Adopting an extensive consultation process, the Government of India with support of the UN came up with National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
UNDP initiated a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India on biodiversity in 2008 across 15 sites spread across different eco- regions of India. An international effort, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and coordinated by Bioversity International, has been initiated since 2001 in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Nepal, Egypt, Yemen and India has helped to enhance the sustainable conservation and use of such underutilized species in these countries.
Also, Louis Dreyfus Foundation has supported TERI to launch a project in the highlands of Uttarakhand (India) to promote cultivation of nutritional orphan crops like millets and improving nutritional status of local dwellers.
Major points of discussion
1. Underutilized/ orphan crops around the world and their economic and nutritional value
2. Impact of biodiversity conservation on food and nutritional security
3. Role of wild edibles, land races and under-utilized crop species in nutritional and environmental security
4. Agro-biodiversity hotspots in the Himalayan region
5. Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Food Production System
6. Gender related issues and highlights of the connect between agricultural biodiversity and food and nutritional security
7. Impetus for poor and marginal farmers to protect traditional varieties and knowledge and strengthening the value chain of underutilized/orphan crops
8. Policies for plant diversity management
The session will have a focused discussion towards a mechanisms leading to encouraging more strategic associations and initiatives to achieve food and nutritional security through agricultural biodiversity conservation
