Building Infrastructure for a Resilience Dividend

The plenary explored strategies for integrating resilience into infrastructure development, focusing on unlocking the resilience dividend to ensure sustainable growth, equity, and climate adaptation. Moderated by Ms Teena Jha, Journalist, Sansad Television, the discussion featured Mr Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure; Dr Madhav Bahadur Karki, Expert Member, Environment Protection and Climate Change Council, Government of Nepal; Mr Shekhar Singh, Municipal Commissioner, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation; Mr Santhosh Muzumdar, Director, Government Relations and Sustainability, Johnson Controls; Mr Shoubik Ganguly, Senior Advisor – Infrastructure and Climate Finance, FCDO, British High Commission, New Delhi; Mr Sanjay Seth, SSenior Director, TERI; Ms Shabnam Bassi, Director, TERI; and Ms Josefina Belmonte, Mayor, Quezon City, Philippines. The session was preceded by the signing of an MoU between TERI and Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) to establish a Centre of Excellence for Green and Sustainable Logistics.

Green Leap through Technology and Innovations

The session explored the transformative role of technology and innovation in advancing sustainable futures by identifying key clean tech opportunities, fostering partnerships, and recommending strategies and policies for scaling green technologies. Moderated by Ms Shweta Kothari, Senior Editor, TV9 Network, the discussion featured Ms Prachi Shevgaonkar, Founder, Cool The Globe; Mr Srivatsan Iyer, Global CEO, Hero Future Energies; Mr Andrew Prag, Managing Director of Policy, We Mean Business Coalition; Ms Chhaya Bhanti, Founder, Vertiver; Mr Himal Tewari, CHRO, Chief – Sustainability & CSR, The Tata Power Company Limited; and Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Fellow & Senior Director, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The session also included the announcement of a partnership under the Atal Innovation Mission, reinforcing commitments to scaling green technologies.

Achieving Sustainable Development through Integrated Action

The session explored the importance of integrated approaches in achieving sustainable development, highlighting cross-sector collaboration, policy frameworks, and innovative solutions. Mr Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, United Nations, chaired the discussion, which featured leadership video messages from Mr Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Dr Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The panel included Mr Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation; Mr Hiroshi Ono, Executive Director, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Dr Julie Reviere, Country Director, GIZ India; Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation; Dr Purvi Mehta, Senior Advisor, Global Growth and Opportunities, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Ms Dechen Tsering, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Environment Programme. Discussions focused on actionable strategies to drive sustainable growth through multi-stakeholder engagement and innovative policy interventions.

WSDS@25 and Driving Impact through Multistakeholder Dialogues at Stein Auditorium

As the 24th edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) concluded, the session reflected on the summit’s legacy as a platform for transformative ideas and global collaboration on sustainable development. Looking ahead to WSDS’s silver jubilee, the discussion celebrated achievements while setting the stage for future action. Mr Nitin Desai, Chairman, TERI, delivered the Chair’s remarks, followed by a global leadership video message from Ms Amina J. Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General. The keynote address was delivered by Ms Dia Mirza, Actor, Producer, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, and UN Secretary-General's Advocate for SDGs, alongside Mr Martin Raiser, Vice President, The World Bank. The session also featured the felicitation of winners of the Youth Climate Conclave and the presentation of The Youth Pledge, underscoring the role of young leaders in shaping a sustainable future. Dr Shailly Kedia, Curator, World Sustainable Development Summit, TERI, presented the summit overview. This was followed by the launch of the Act4Earth 2025 Manifesto and the closing address by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, marking the culmination of another impactful edition of WSDS.