WSDS 2025 Concludes with Strong Commitments to Sustainability

NEW DELHI (India CSR): The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2025 concluded today with a resounding call for accelerated global action towards sustainability, resilience, and innovation. Organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Summit convened world leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and academicians to deliberate on serious environmental and developmental challenges.

The concluding day of the Summit provided a platform to speakers engaged in insightful discussions across key sessions.

MoU for Green Logistics

The day began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TERI and Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) to establish the ‘CONCOR–TERI Centre of Excellence for Green and Sustainable Logistics.’ The MoU was formalized at TERI headquarters in New Delhi. The proposed ‘Centre of Excellence’ aims to advance India’s low-carbon and efficient freight transport by promoting a modal shift to railways, developing green rating systems for warehouses, and creating sustainable logistics tools. The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI.

Leaders Emphasize Carbon Reduction

Speaking on the momentous occasion, Mr Sanjay Swarup, Chairman and Managing Director, Container Corporation of India Ltd said, “CONCOR is proud to collaborate with TERI in establishing the CoE for Green and Sustainable Logistics, reinforcing our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of freight transport.” Mr Sanjay Seth, Senior Director, TERI added, “By partnering with CONCOR, TERI aims to develop strategies that not only enhance efficiency but also align with India’s climate commitments.”

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Resilient Infrastructure Discussion

During the Leadership Panel: ‘Building Infrastructure for a Resilience Dividend’, leaders and experts highlighted the need for sustainable investments, nature-based solutions, and adaptive infrastructure to mitigate climate vulnerabilities and enhance resilience. In this session, Mr Amit Prothi, Director General, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure said, “Risks are different in different geographies. Resilience dividend can help us understand risks emanating from a number of factors apart from climate change that we have not factored in our decision-making. It is about answering, how my road, my railroad, my airport, my seaport, my power system will function in the future, given that there might be certain uncertainties in the future. Capacity building is the key gap we are trying to address—how do we make it easier to embed this information of risk in our decision-making?”

Nepal’s Vulnerability Approach

Dr Madhav Bahadur Karki, Expert Member, Environment Protection and Climate Change Council, Government of Nepal, emphasized, “The question of how to turn vulnerability into opportunity is appropriate for Nepal because of its multi-dimensional vulnerability. And for this ‘vulnerability into opportunity’, the resilience dividend is pertinent. To address these challenges, a multi-stakeholder approach involving public and private investment, improved governance, and international support is crucial.”

Technology Driving Green Transition

During the Ideas Forum: ‘Green Leap through Technology and Innovations’, visionaries from the technology and research sectors discussed how transformative innovations can enhance green transition while focusing on the significance of clean energy, smart grids, and circular economy solutions. Ms Prachi Shevgaonkar, Founder, Cool The Globe highlighted, “A lot of individuals who care about climate change but are not taking any action towards its abatement. We realized that they are waiting for a magic pill or a technological innovation to swoop in like a superhero and save us from climate change and that’s why they are not acting. The truth is, people created this problem, and it is only people like us who can solve it and while technology cannot be a replacement, it can only be an aid in our journey to climate action.”

India’s Renewable Energy Potential

Adding to the discussion, Mr Srivatsan Iyer, Global CEO, Hero Future Energies observed, “India is at a wonderful position where it can take an approach of building massive renewable energy capacity where it makes sense, start to incentivize micro-grids and allow individual consumers to generate their own power.”

Future Energy Needs

Further, Himal Tewari, CHRO, Chief – Sustainability & CSR, Tata Power Company Limited said, “India is going to be the biggest energy consumer in the world. So, in the medium and long terms, India’s energy demand must be met by integrated solutions, such as nuclear as well as other new energies such as offshore energies.”

Green Technology Adoption Challenges

Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Fellow & Senior Director, TERI explained, “If we talk about the 65% of the rural population in India, the upfront cost of green technology is a major deterrent in its adoption. Scaling up the production is the primary solution to bring down the costs associated with the green technology.”

Community Innovation Grants

During the Ideas Forum, an official from the Atal Innovation Mission gave an overview of the fellowship grant that is currently underway in collaboration with Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi. The grant aims to accelerate community innovations in battery energy storage. Launched in February 2025 in collaboration with Innovation Norway, TERI, and AIM, the programme offers mentorship and financial support of up to ₹2 Lakhs to 12 selected candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Northeast India.

Achieving Sustainable Development

In the high-level plenary: ‘Achieving Sustainable Development through Integrated Action’ multilateral representatives explained the importance of holistic, cross-sectoral approaches in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, and endorsed robust collaborations between governments, businesses, non-state actors, and civil society. Chairing this session, Mr Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, United Nations, shared critical points related to sustainability and said, “We need peace because without peace you cannot have sustainable development, we need solidarity, we need just transition, we need action, and we need gender equality. Together we can accelerate SDG achievement, combat climate change, and build a resilient, equitable future for all”.

Gender and Climate Impact

Adding a gender lens to the climate discussion, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, remarked, “Up to 50% or 60% outdoor air pollution is coming from indoor, and indoor pollution is impacting women much more. Data can tell us what action can have how much impact. In agriculture, we are not looking at yields anymore, we also have to look at nutrition and we also have to look at how climate resilient they are.”

Local Actors for SDGs

On the importance of local wisdom for sustainable development, Mr Hiroshi Ono, Executive Director, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) explained, “Local actors are more important in the implementation of SDG targets. The biggest challenge lies in the implementation of SDGs. We can direct the flow of money towards SDGs and increase the efficiency of the usage of money. The two keywords–synergies and just transition—are important now and the future to improve the implementation of SDGs. We need a mutual collaboration rather than the long way of transfer of technology and transfer of knowledge.”

Strengthening Multilateral Cooperation

In a video message, Mr Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, shared, “Climate change, poverty, and inequality are deeply interconnected, demanding holistic across sectoral solutions. This is why strengthening multilateral corporation is more urgent than ever.”

Valedictory Session Highlights

The valedictory: ‘WSDS@25 and Driving Impact through Multistakeholder Dialogues’ featured the keynote address by Ms Dia Mirza, Actor, Producer, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador; UN Secretary General’s Advocate for SDGs. She observed, “India has set bold targets for renewable energy, with an ambition to reach 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. We’ve made strides in reducing poverty, improving access to education, and expanding healthcare. But I also know that these achievements are not enough. Inequality, environmental degradation, and climate impacts are still felt deeply, particularly in our rural communities.”

Martin Raiser, Vice President, World Bank, stated, “We need to take resilience more seriously, we need to confront the problems of adaptation. The solutions are not going to cost a lot of money. The solutions require paying more attention to the right development policies.”

Looking Ahead to WSDS 2026

As WSDS 2025 draws to a close, the journey toward a more sustainable future continues with a renewed sense of urgency. Marking a milestone, TERI launched the Act4Earth Manifesto, which offers a holistic road map for policymaking, designed to steer global efforts toward meeting the goals of climate action, energy transition, and sustainability. Dr Shailly Kedia, Curator, WSDS, TERI presented the Act4Earth Manifesto. At the end of the session, the winners of the Youth Climate Conclave were felicitated.

Next year, WSDS will mark its silver jubilee edition with the pledge and promise to build upon this year’s momentum with even greater ambition, deeper engagement, and stronger global partnerships. In her closing remarks, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI said, “This year’s theme was centered on partnerships and collaborations. As we conclude, we leave with a wealth of ideas and strategies that will guide us tackle future challenges.”