Minister Shakeela calls for collective international commitment to achieve a green global economy

The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2013 organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) yesterday at New Delhi, India.

Speaking at the summit, Honourable Minister Dr. Mariyam Shakeela called for collective international commitment, dedication and steadfast efforts to place climate protection and energy agenda consistently at the forefront of policymaking, and to systematically orient all policy fields towards a green global economy.

In its 13th edition, DSDS focused on the theme, “The Global Challenge of Resource-Efficient Growth and Development”. It is the first important meeting of global leaders following the June 2012, Rio+20 Summit. DSDS 2013 will take the Rio+20 deliberations forward, and examine what has been achieved and how awareness had been created; it will also attempt to define new directions to be followed; and set an agenda for further action.

Minister Dr. Shakeela in her statement said, “The inherently linked, yet limited resources and food, water cannot be ignored, when frequent disasters and extreme events are becoming a common phenomenon. Provision of affordable food requires dependable, inexpensive water and energy. Increasing dependence on unsustainable, fossil fuel based energy sources increases global warming and threatens climate security, which in turn affect our biodiversity, food and water security, through droughts and floods, and extreme weather events. This will create large scale environmental and social damage and hinder economic development.”

The Summit was organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) which is headed by world-renowned economist and Head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel, Dr. R. K. Pachauri. TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

Over the years, Delhi Sustainable Development Summit has evolved as a global platform that addresses the key challenges of sustainable development and explores the means by which this can be attained.