“India has made tremendous progress in last 6 years in achieving all the important SDG targets. The government is committed to give every house potable tap water by 2024,” said Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, during his opening speech at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit 2020.
Dignitaries and speakers gathered at the virtual summit organized by the Times Group around the theme “Reimaging our Planet – Building Back Better”. They underlined the importance of inculcating awareness across levels to ensure the future remains green and sustainable.
Javadekar emphasized on India’s preparedness to implement SDG Goals and reiterated the government’s commitment to sustainability. “We have set forth a target of 26 million hectares of land restoration. We have achieved 21% reduction in emission intensity and have created 37% of our energy mix capacity with renewables,” he added.
What they said
Participants to the Times Group summit felt that the Covid-19 pandemic infection early this year threw a spanner in the works of achieving the Sustainable Development goals. Ambassador T. S. Tirumurti, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, New York, viewed COVID-19 as an opportunity to bring back the planet to its ecological order. “The current situation demands a fresh mindset where approach to development should be human centric. India’s progress in SDGs is crucial for the entire world as the country is home to about 18% of the world population,” he said.
Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, emphasized that India holds the key to saving the planet for the next 50 years. “Sustainability should include employment. Unemployed youth is probably the most dangerous situation any economy or any country can face,” she added.
The UN-specified SDG agenda also includes diversity and inclusion. Talking about how the government remains committed to gender equality, Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of BJP and Member of Parliament from New Delhi Parliamentary constituency, she said, “Gender equality should start at party level that will lead to representation at the parliament level. Women leadership at the village panchayat level will only help eradication of many health hazards. Investment in preventive healthcare is crucial in this post pandemic era.”
Namrata Rana, Director, Strategy and Brand, Futurescape, India Ambassador of University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership also launched the ET and Futurescape 7th Sustainability Index at the Summit. She said, “Financial growth and GDP measures still don’t account for many things that we now value – health, education, environment, etc. The ESG framework covering environment, social and governance issues need to be adopted by many more financial institutions across the world,” she recommended.
Dignitaries and participants were almost unanimous in believing that it is crucial for businesses to adopt SDGs. At the heart of any business should be sustainability concerns for a better future, they felt. “Great companies focus on the issues that align with their business strategy and where they can have the greatest potential for global impact,” said Sameer Garde, President, Cisco India and SAARC.
Other sustainability and CSR leaders like Atul Sud, President WeCare & Director Government, Regulatory & Legal Affairs- Perfetti Van Melle India Pvt. Ltd., actor and Climate Warrior Bhumi Pednekar attended the summit.
Dia Mirza Actor, Producer, and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador & United Nations Secretary-General Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, closed the day’s proceedings by calling for a better world. “The challenge of improving people’s lives is greater now than ever. The SDGs are the perfect roadmap and guide to ensure ensures peace, health, equality, and justice for all,” she concluded.
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