Regulatory Jobs

1. Name of the Institute: IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), New Delhi

2. Name of the Programme: Leadership Programme on Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development (LPNSSD) (Online Programme)

3. Duration: Minimum Duration – 1 Month. Maximum Duration – 6 Months.

4. No. of Seats: Flexible

5. Brief Write-up on the Programme: The Leadership Programme on Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development (LPNSSD) programme is intended to sensitize and guide policy and programme leaders to rely more on evidence-based programming for achieving nutrition security and sustainable development.

The special feature of this programme is its conceptualization and development in collaboration with the Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India (‘the Coalition’). The Coalition, chaired by Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, is a group of public and private sector leaders, NGOs, Media and Academia, who have united in an effort to improve nutrition security, ensuring that every Indian has access to a balanced diet, safe drinking water, environmental hygiene, sanitation, and primary healthcare.

The Coalition has developed and committed itself to a Leadership Agenda for Action. The Leadership Agenda for Action highlights the urgent need to address high levels of malnutrition in India. It has developed recommendations for priority actions based on evidence and programming experience and helps build awareness, capacity and commitment among policy and programme leaders for implementation of the recommendations.

The programme is designed based on the Leadership Agenda for Action and undertakes to review the current situation in India, the complex causes of poor nutrition, and evidence of what works to improve nutrition.

The Leadership Course on Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development programme shall be available online on SAVE (Sustainable Action and Virtual Education) platform. It is a complete virtual learning environment suite covering all activities from registration to certification.

6. Eligibility: The programme is open to candidates who are graduates or equivalent in any discipline from any recognized University. There is a special focus on candidates working in the health and nutrition sector, including policy makers and programme implementers, civil society and public health nutrition professionals.

7. Programme Fee:

A. Course Fee

• For Indian Applicants: Rs. 600/-
• For Foreign National: US $ 40
• For Foreign National Residing in India: US $ 40

B. Examination Fee: US $ 10 (For All Applicants)

8. Useful Links for Further Information:

http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/chair/sustainabledevelopmentchair/programmes

http://www.ignouonline.ac.in/save/Programoffer.aspx

http://www.ignouonline.ac.in/save/NSSD.htm

Website: www.ignou.ac.in

1. Name of the Institute: IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), New Delhi

2. Name of the Programme: Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainability Science (PGDSS) (Online Programme)

3. Duration: Minimum Duration – 1 Year. Maximum Duration – 4 Years.

4. No. of Seats: Flexible

5. Brief Write-up on the Programme: Sustainability Science is defined as the study of dynamic interactions between nature and society. For planet Earth, humanity, and all other living beings at crossroads, the most urgent need is to reconcile environment and development in a mutually-reinforcing manner, in view of the ever-increasing “ecological footprint” and constantly reducing “biocapacity”.

The PG Diploma in Sustainability Science, an inter- and multidisciplinary programme, has contents drawn from environmental sciences, ecology, economics, anthropology, humanity and social sciences. The ethics, economics, equity, energy, employment and education are the basic components, and the issues concerning population, anthropogenic pressure on planet Earth, the threats such as climate change, free but not fairtrade, etc., have also been addressed. Emphasis on essential policy requirements has been made with reference to the ecological, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.

6. Eligibility:

• All graduates from social and natural sciences streams.
• Policymakers, administrators, scientists and educators as well as general public interested in paradigm shift from the present unsustainable to sustainable development.

7. Student Support Activities: PGDSS programme shall be available online on the SAVE (Sustainable Action and Virtual Education) Platform. It is a complete virtual learning environment suite covering substantial activities of teaching-learning process.

The following features shall be available to the registered students:

• Integrated Multimedia Courseware: Once registered, learners will have access to personalized learning space (My Page). This includes self-instructional material, related audio/video, slides, self-check exercises, etc., weaved in one platform.

• Online Counselling and Mentoring: Webcast-based counselling integrated with text-based chatting facility shall be used for counselling purposes. There shall be around 10-12 counselling sessions of one hour duration each.

• Online Project Platform: Templates shall be made available for synopsis submission, project uploading and evaluation.

8. Programme Fee:

• For Indian Applicants: Rs. 7000.00
• For Applicants from SAARC Countries: $ 450
• For Applicants from Non-SAARC Countries: $ 1400

9. Job Opportunities: Many national and international organizations are in search of professionals who are keen to understand and learn the global issues of conservation, development, livelihood improvement, etc. This course will be a guide-post in joining those organizations.

Those who are interested to continue their research in multi-disciplinary fields will get theoretical understanding in choosing their career. The successful students may join as project officers/environmental experts in NGOs, industries and academic institutions.

10. Useful Links for Further Information:

http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/chair/sustainabledevelopmentchair/programmes

http://www.ignouonline.ac.in/save/Programoffer.aspx

Website: www.ignou.ac.in

New Delhi – Building owners and real estate developers throughout India’s rapidly expanding urban areas stand to benefit financially from energy efficiency building upgrades, according to a landmark business case study released on April 18 of the Godrej Bhavan building in South Mumbai, which cut its electricity costs by 28 percent.

This comprehensive analysis of efficiency upgrades, produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), demonstrates that India’s transforming building market can help the country meet its growing energy needs through efficiency.

“The Godrej Bhavan building case study confirms the practical, cost-effective, and energy-saving opportunities available with energy efficiency,” said Ms. Anjali Jaiswal, Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s India Initiative. “With India’s energy crisis worsening, scaling up energy efficiency in buildings will be critical to ensuring that businesses and cities can continue to grow a sustainable way.”

As described in the case study, “Saving Money and Energy: Case Study of the Energy-Efficiency Retrofit of the Godrej Bhavan Building in Mumbai”, Godrej & Boyce upgraded the six-story South Mumbai building of Godrej Bhavan in 2010 after decades of paying high electricity bills. By implementing comprehensive energy efficiency and sustainability features – including efficient cooling and lighting systems, energy management and metering, and water flow metering – Godrej Bhavan has achieved significant financial and environmental quality benefits for the building owners and occupants.

Only two years after the upgrade, Godrej Bhavan’s electricity use has already dropped by more than 12 percent, representing a 28.6 percent savings in electricity costs. The company is on track to quickly recover the costs of its energy efficiency retrofits. Electricity bill savings alone will allow Godrej & Boyce to pay back retrofit costs (Rupees 5,384,000 / USD $ 99,704) in as little as 4.7 years. Fifteen years after the upgrade, Godrej & Boyce could realize up to Rs. 6,980,000 in cumulative electric bill savings.

“The Godrej Bhavan retrofit confirms the low-hanging cost-saving opportunities from energy efficiency. Just two years after the upgrade, we are already reaping significant financial and energy savings,” said Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman, Godrej & Boyce. “By investing in energy efficiency, businesses can realize measurable savings on their energy bills while also protecting the environment.”

This case study comes on the tail of historic blackouts in July 2012, which left 700 million people without power, revealing the severity of India’s energy crisis. As India continues to urbanize, its building-occupied area is estimated to climb sharply, from 8 billion square meters in 2005 to a projected 41 billion square meters in 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Long-term cost savings available through energy efficiency present real estate developers with the opportunity to gain market advantage by constructing energy efficient buildings from the start.

“With building construction skyrocketing in Indian cities, real estate developers have a key role to play in addressing India’s growing energy demand,” said Mr. Lalit Kumar Jain, Chairman, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI). “Incorporating energy efficiency measures into our new buildings will save money, help India achieve a reliable energy future, and address the threat of climate change.”

“The need for efficiency in new construction is a fore-gone conclusion. But retrofitting is an opportunity we must not downplay either,” said Mr. Krishan Dhawan, CEO of the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. “There are considerable savings to be realized here and I think businesses should lead the way. The Godrej Bhavan case study is an example of how businesses can both save money as well as strengthen the argument for building efficiency.”

Godrej Bhavan’s experience provides other building owners and real estate developers with an example of real-world payback scenarios for efficiency upgrades and important lessons learned. These include ensuring top-level support among business and building owners for efficiency and cost-saving targets; taking advantage of low-hanging efficiency opportunities, including upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and building management systems; and training building staff to analyze and improve on the energy performance of building operations.

“High-efficiency HVAC systems and other efficiency measures will continue to drive down operating costs for Indian businesses and building occupants,” said Mr. Venkatesh Valluri, Chairman and President of Ingersoll Rand India, which installed chilled water systems and its building management system at Godrej Bhavan. “By using less energy, Indian businesses can improve comfort levels, boosting the health and productivity of their workers.”

“As the retrofit of Godrej Bhavan confirms, developers, building owners, and tenants are essential to achieving the energy efficiency benefits of reduced energy use, cost savings, increased worker productivity, higher asset value, and market advantage for efficient buildings,” said Professor Srinivas Chary, Dean of Research and Management Studies at ASCI.

The Godrej Bhavan case study was authored by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). Godrej & Boyce, Ingersoll Rand and Trane, and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) served as knowledge and dissemination partners. No funds were exchanged between these parties to develop the study. Case study development was supported in part by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation.

Source: NRDC.

Public sector enterprises in India are being urged to embrace sustainability reporting under newly revised guidelines issued by the Indian government. The Indian Department of Public Enterprise’s (DPE) new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Guidelines have a special focus on employee rights and welfare.

​The latest iteration of the Indian CSR guidelines, launched on 1 April 2013, are aimed at all Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and include a dedicated section on sustainability reporting and disclosure. The document, which saw input from various stakeholders including GRI’s Focal Point India, states that although sustainability reporting is a recent trend in India, large companies are increasingly using internationally-accepted frameworks like GRI’s to produce their non-financial reports.

In keeping with this growing trend, the Indian guidelines urge public sector companies to internalize the practice of sustainability reporting, noting that by reporting transparently, they can gain and reinforce the trust of stakeholders.

“The new guidelines on CSR and sustainability are intended to bring an attitudinal change in the mind-sets of managers and executives of public sector companies,” says Ashok Pavadia, Joint Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India. “It is hoped that this change in mind-set will induce a positive transformation throughout all operations, activities and processes of these companies that will in turn be beneficial for business, the environment and society at large. Companies are expected to conduct business in a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable manner that is transparent and ethical at all times and that is in the interest of all key stakeholders. To fortify and sustain this trend, sustainability reporting has been made mandatory for all public sector enterprises in India.”

While the earlier guidelines focused mainly on CSR activities for external stakeholders, the revised guidelines take internal stakeholders, particularly employees, into account in a much more serious way: “CPSEs shall take steps to implement their CSR agenda within the organization through the active involvement of the employees, who are important internal stakeholders,” it states in point 1.6.3 of the document. According to the new guidelines, a company is now expected to disclose even its most routine business activities and operations, and CPSEs are asked to formulate their policies with a balanced emphasis on all aspects of CSR and sustainability – both internally and externally.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that CPSEs take their CSR commitments seriously, the new guidelines set out rules and procedures for CSR and sustainability budget requirements. As with the previous guidelines, in the new version, unutilized budgets for CSR activities planned for a year can be carried forward to the next year; however, it is now mandatory for CPSEs to disclose the reasons for not fully utilizing the yearly CSR and sustainability budget.

“The new guidelines are an important contribution to GRI’s mission of mainstreaming sustainability reporting, bringing with them a systematic approach to CSR that will form a core part of business strategy and growth in India,” says Dr. Aditi Haldar, Director GRI Focal Point India.

Over the past two decades, India’s economy has undergone rapid growth and has become globally acknowledged as being one of the world’s strongest emerging markets. India’s CPSEs have played a crucial part in the development of the modern Indian economy, and if this growth is to continue and a sustainable economy is to be achieved in India, it is essential that CSR activities become an integrated part of CPSE’s business models. The new DPE guidelines will no doubt go a long way to aiding this cause.

Click here to read/download the new guidelines.

Source: GRI.

TERI University is hosting Open House on April 5-6 at its campus with the aim to provide opportunity to prospective students who are interested in pursuing their studies in areas related to sustainable development.

New Delhi – With the agenda of sustainability taking such a pivotal position on global level due to its impact on economy, climate and environment, there is all the more pressing need to get well-versed in areas that lead to sustainable development.

In recognition of the importance of education for sustainable development, the United Nations declared 2005-14 the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), with the aim to provide an opportunity for refining and promoting the vision of, and transition to, sustainable development – through all forms of education, public awareness and training.

With a similar goal in mind, TERI University, a niche university in India in the area of sustainable development, is organizing an Open House in its campus on April 5-6 for prospective students who are interested in pursuing their studies in various areas related to sustainable development.

TERI offers 11 Masters Programmes and 4 Ph.D. Programmes in fields as diverse as sustainability, development, environment, economics, geoinformatics, etc. These are as follows:

1. MBA-Business Sustainability
2. MBA-Infrastructure
3. M.Sc.-Climate Science & Policy
4. M.Sc.-Economics
5. M.Sc.-Environmental Studies & Resource Management
6. M.Sc.-Geoinformatics
7. M.Sc.-Plant Biotechnology
8. M.A.-Sustainable Development Practice
9. M.A.-Public Policy & Sustainable Development
10. M.Tech.-Renewable Energy Engineering & Management
11. M.Tech. -Urban Development & Management

1. Ph.D. (Bioresources & Biotechnology)
2. Ph.D. (Energy & Environment)
3. Ph.D. (Natural Resources Management)
4. Ph.D. (Regulatory & Policy Issues)

At the Open House, the prospective students can meet the faculty, current students and also alumni to know more about these programmes, learning experiences, student life and career prospects.

TERI University has Grade ‘A’ accreditation by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and is known for ‘Thought Leadership’ in the field of sustainable development. It has been awarded for having the “Most Innovative Curriculum” at the India Today Aspire Education Summit Awards 2012. The University provides the students opportunity to immerse in a global study experience, and is visited by top recruiters like PwC, Infosys, Ambuja Cement, ACC, Suzlon, E & Y, Wipro, etc., for summer internships and campus recruitments.

Interested students can visit the University Campus on April 5^th and 6^th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm:

For more details, visit www.teriuniversity.ac.in.

Source: TERI.

Nepal’s BioTrade sector offers major opportunities for sustainable development with over 100 types of medicinal plants harvested in the country and traded abroad.

Nairobi / Geneva – The growing global demand for medicinal and aromatic plants could help drive Nepal’s green economy, while improving livelihoods in its poorest communities, according to a new study released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the Government of Nepal.

The report, “BioTrade: Harnessing the Potential for Transitioning to a Green Economy – The Case of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Nepal”, analyzes the country’s BioTrade sector and, specifically, its trade in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), which are often grown in the country’s poorest regions.

Nepal is home to about 700 species of medicinal plants, about 250 of which are endemic to the country. This vast haven of biodiversity presents opportunities in commodity BioTrade (essential oils and plants extracts, natural ingredients for cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, native fruits for juice, wine and jam), trade in goods (bamboo products, gums and resins, spices and flavours, dyes and tans, natural pesticides, wild mushrooms and health foods), and services (ecotourism).

Today, more than 100 types of MAPs are harvested in Nepal and traded in international markets. In 2008, the recorded value of the exported MAPs was around USD 3 million, and by 2009, it had increased to USD 9.8 million.

“The growing global demand for natural and environmentally-friendly products today, speaks of the vast potential of BioTrade to contribute to the strengthening of the country’s economy and rural livelihoods,” said Lal Mani Joshi, Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Commerce and Supplies.

Given Nepal’s high degree of biodiversity, the study confirmed the country’s significant potential to develop its BioTrade sector. The study focuses on the cultivation, processing and trade of high-value MAPs, which are found in the forests and grasslands of the mountains in the northern part of the country.

“By harvesting these plants sustainably, and improving their value-added activity so collectors receive a fair share of the profits, the trade could contribute to social equity, environmental conservation and economic prosperity,” said UNEP Programme Officer Asad Naqvi, who oversaw the study.

However, the report also cites the challenges of developing a sustainable trade in MAPs, including the lack of value-added activity and quality control mechanisms. MAPs are currently sold through long marketing channels with high transaction costs and most of the value-added processes in the production chain occur outside of Nepal.

In addition, inadequate infrastructure, such as limited access to electricity, transportation facilities, water and technology, results in a lack of productive capacity and hampers developing the trade in MAPs.

The report makes several recommendations to assist policymakers, development agencies and entrepreneurs in developing the country’s BioTrade in MAPs in a responsible and sustainable manner.

For example, the report cites a need for:

• An inventory system, with regular updating, to provide much needed information on the stock of available resources and how much can be sustainably harvested.
• Appropriate technologies for transforming Nepali raw materials into value-added products.
• Well-equipped laboratories to test plants and products in order to meet sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) requirements and provide easy access to lucrative international markets.
• Implementation of appropriate policies that facilitate adequate incentives for entrepreneurs to promote and encourage formal trade in MAPs.

The study is part of Capacity Building for BioTrade (CBBT) project, which is implemented by UNEP with financial support from GIZ, and has conducted similar studies in Namibia and Peru.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation, and National Planning Commission of Nepal also contributed to this study.

Click here to read/download the Full Study.

Source: UNEP.

India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari expressed concern over scarce water resources as well as the stark inequity in access to water while speaking at CSE’s 2nd Anil Agarwal Dialogue on water and wastewater management in Indian cities, titled ‘Excreta Does Matter’.

New Delhi – “There is a serious lack of foresight in urban sewage and wastewater management in our country. This has led to a situation where India – which has the capacity to treat less than one third of its sewage – can actually treat only one-fifth. Untreated sewage is killing our water,” Vice President Hamid Ansari said here on March 4, while speaking at the Second Anil Agarwal Dialogue on water and wastewater management, titled ‘Excreta Does Matter’.

The two-day annual get-together of activists, experts, scientists and lawmakers was organised by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in memory of its Founder Director, Anil Agarwal. This year, the Dialogue focused on the issue of urban water and wastewater management. About 200 participants from across India congregated in this event, which, said CSE Director General Sunita Narain, “is perhaps the only gathering of this kind in the country where the civil society gets an opportunity to join ranks and have a dialogue with other stakeholders.”

The dialogue was aimed at furthering the agenda of CSE’s Seventh State of India’s Environment, a comprehensive survey of water and wastewater management in 71 Indian cities, titled ‘Excreta Matters’. The study finds most cities lacking a basic policy direction on how best to tackle issues of demand, supply and treatment of water, and of management of sewage.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President said, “What comes out of the report is troubling. Cities have used up or polluted their local water resources. To quench their ever-increasing thirst, India’s expanding cities have started sourcing water from further and further away. This has pushed up the cost of water, increased leakages to around 40 per cent, and sparked conflicts. Cities have to pay a heavy price for infrastructure and power to fetch this water: electricity accounts for nearly a third of an average urban water utility’s bill.”

“It is befitting that CSE has instituted these Dialogues, which is not only a tribute to the outstanding environmentalist, but also a useful platform to take forward his valuable legacy. Anil Agarwal was a visionary who realized earlier than most that for sustained economic growth and development in the country, a sustainable environment was a necessity,” he added.

Said Sunita Narain, “Cities plan for water, but forget about their waste. More water equals more waste, as almost 80 per cent of the water cities consume comes back as wastewater. Cities have no clue how they will convey waste of all, treat it, clean rivers. 78 per cent of our sewage is officially untreated – and it is an optimistic figure, as we think it could be as much as 85 per cent and disposed off in our water bodies as well as in our groundwater.”

The Dialogue, which extended till March 5, concluded with a unique ‘Lake and River Warriors’ Meet, which brought together representatives from activist organizations, which have been fighting some of the most contentious battles over water in India.

Source: CSE.

U-M’s 2012 Sustainability Progress Report combines video, animation and data to show the university’s efforts to tackle some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – The University of Michigan (U-M) shows immense growth and engagement in sustainability education, research and operations, according to a new report designed to track and measure progress.

According to the report, funding for sustainability research at U-M has increased by 200 percent since 2003, signalling the growing recognition of the importance of this research to address challenges as far-ranging as ensuring safe, sustainable food and water sources to understanding what happens in the brain that encourages us to consume more than we need.

“Our work is equally local and global. As we approach our bicentennial as a university, we understand our legacy as a leader in reviving Michigan’s Great Lakes and forests, integrating environment and business in our curriculum and protecting vital systems throughout the world,” said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.

The interactive digital 2012 Sustainability Progress Report combines video, animation and data to show the university’s efforts to tackle some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

“In addition to sharing our progress, we hope it prompts conversation about the policy, science and individual action that’s required to ensure the health of our planet,” said Don Scavia, special counsel to the U-M president on sustainability and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute.

Using environmental metrics, the university tracks the impact of its operations and measures progress toward long-range goals focused on climate, waste prevention, healthy environments and community awareness. As announced by Coleman in 2011, the 2025 goals support the university’s broader overall commitment to sustainability, known as Planet Blue.

On the operations front, the report shows that:

• The intensity of carbon emissions was lessened from U-M’s vehicle fleet, which now includes hybrid and biodiesel fuel buses.
• Chemical applications were reduced on campus through sustainable landscape management practices.
• More sustainably produced foods were utilized and made available for purchase on campus.
• More needs to be done to reduce the total volume of solid waste, which rose slightly.

The report also highlights the global impact of faculty and students in sustainability.

“As a university, we have the unique capability to leverage our strengths in teaching and research to confront the complexity of building a sustainable world,” Scavia said.

That philosophy has led to wide-ranging efforts, with emphases on water, liveable communities and climate change among the spectrum of research. The work includes, for example, partnering with stakeholders throughout the world on planning sustainable developments; providing safe drinking water; developing smart cars that talk to each other and to traffic lights to prevent accidents; designing smart buildings that monitor and adjust their own heating, cooling and lighting to match the behaviour of their occupants; and developing future sustainability leaders through the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program and a new undergraduate minor in sustainability.

Source: University of Michigan.

The workshop aimed to bring together experiences from ACCCRN cities across Asia and to carve out a path for the future, taking forward the agenda of sustainable and climate resilient cities.

New Delhi – In an endeavor to bring the knowledge and experience generated through the ACCCRN initiative, and explore synergies with similar other initiatives, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with Rockefeller Foundation organized on January 29 an International Workshop on “Resilient Cities: Experiences from ACCCRN in Asia and Beyond” under the aegis of its annual flagship event, Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2013.

Setting the theme, Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, “The impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent, the heat waves are on increase and there is no denying the fact that cities would be more vulnerable in the future. The need of the hour is to deal with climate change effectively. We need to have a dialogue and build proper communication channels to shed light on these issues, and create better urban climate resilience, develop infrastructure and human capability to deal with these issues.

Dr. Ligia Noronha, Executive Director, TERI, in her introductory remarks said, “There is a need to recognize the growing inequality in Asian cities to efforts at building climate resilience.” Referring to an earlier TERI project on “double exposure” to globalization and climate change, she said poorly conceived city modernization or urban renewal projects, can also lead to a double exposure for the urban poor in cities also exposed to climate hazards. One key aspect of the agenda of climate resilient growth should thus be in making cities more equitable. “More equitable cities will, I believe, result in more robust, resilient cities.”

The objective of the workshop was to bring together the experiences from ACCCRN cities across Asia and to carve out a path for the future, taking forward the agenda for sustainable and climate resilient cities. The workshop targeted participants which included ACCCRN associates and partners from India and Asia, policy-makers, academician working in the area of cities, multilateral organization with a mandate and agenda to support resilience and climate proofing of cities, stakeholders from State and City Governments from ACCCRN cities and beyond.

Encouraged by the stellar response the collaboration is getting so far, Ms. Mili Majumdar, Director, Sustainable Habitat, TERI, said, “The project is trying to mainstream climate resilience with bringing changes in the planning framework that are relevant to the development of these cities. This collaboration actively seeks to engage various stakeholders and identify cutting edge strategies to build up a framework for climate change resilience.”

Delivering the special address, Dr. Cristina Rumbaitis Del Rio, Associate Director, Rockefeller Institute, said, “We are extremely delighted to collaborate with TERI on policy-related issues to climate resilience for cities in India. I do hope we will be able to find ways in which TERI’s stellar work could be replicated in many other parts of the world.”

In Asia, the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) – a 7-year duration initiative – was conceived and launched by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2008. ACCCRN aims to catalyze attention, funding, and action on building climate change resilience for poor and vulnerable people in cities by creating robust models and methodologies for assessing and addressing risk through active engagement and analysis of 10 cities in Asia. The initiative has supported cities to assess their climate risks and vulnerabilities and develop their resilience strategies. Until date, ACCCRN has supported and funded 23 city projects across 10 cities in 4 Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam) amounting to about US $ 9.4 Million. The city projects address multiple sectors and include interventions for floods/drainage, disaster risk reduction, water resource, housing and health.

TERI was appointed as the National Policy Advisor to ACCCRN in India in the year 2009. As part of this, TERI conducted a policy synthesis review for mainstreaming climate resilience in Indian cities. Later, TERI selected Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) as one of the pilot ACCCRN cities in India among those who had developed a city climate resilience strategy. They also conducted a detailed review of regulations, policies, by-laws applicable to the urban development process for Gorakhpur and suggested a climate resilience mainstreaming strategy for the city. The detailed mainstreaming strategy has been submitted to the city government which is considering implementation of some of TERI’s recommendations.

The day-long workshop was divided into two sessions entitled “Urban Resilience: Concept and Approaches” and “ACCRN Experience in India and Beyond” respectively. It was followed by a panel discussion on the topic “Taking Resilience Agenda Forward”, and offered a lot of insight on the way climate resilience could be approached in urban centres in Asia, and how to best utilize the present experiences and chalk the best way forward.

Source: TERI.

About TERI

Headed by world-renowned economist and Nobel Prize winning climate scientist, Dr. R. K. Pachauri, The Energy and Resources Institute (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. From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state – no sphere of human endeavour is unfamiliar to TERI. For more information, visit www.teriin.org.

During the recently held Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2013, TERI announced the launch of a portal created with the aim to exchange knowledge on sustainable development.

New Delhi – As sustainable development has wide implications, it is important to draw lessons from the vast amount of available information in understanding and capturing ground realities in the various issues related to the sector. Exchange of ideas and knowledge would help identify and understand knowledge gaps in various areas in order to effectively achieve the intended goals of sustainability.

Keeping this in mind, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has launched a web portal – Knowledge x-change on Sustainable Development (KxSD) – an initiative supported by the U.K. Government.

The portal was launched during the recently held flagship event of TERI, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2013 (DSDS 2013), by the Leadership Panel 1 comprising Ambassador C. Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow, TERI; H.E. Mr. Donald Ramotar, President of Guyana; H.E. Mr. Anote Tong, President of Kiribati; and Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director-General, TERI.

The portal aims to:

• Facilitate knowledge sharing across the facets of sustainable development;
• Showcase new research and innovative practices, share knowledge and success stories from diverse regions and sectors targeted at policy makers and the wider research community; and
• Focus on three main dimensions of sustainable development – policy imperatives, technology & innovations, and community partnerships.
  

Policy: Conducive policies and supporting regulatory frameworks are essential for facilitating sustainable growth in various sectors of the economy. Exchange of ideas and knowledge through the portal will help identify/understand the policy gaps in various areas and also to further amend these in order to make them more effective in achieving the intended goals.

Technology & Innovation: Emerging sustainable technologies are vital to strengthen efforts for achieving the goals of sustainable development. The portal facilitates dissemination of information on technologies that are low cost, more efficient, appropriate to the local, regional and global conditions and within the technical capacity of the benefiting community to operate and maintain.

Community Partnership: Developing sustainable communities is significant for fostering social equity and civil society participation in planning and implementation of sustainability. The portal seeks to promote community partnership issues and development processes to create awareness among various stakeholders.

The portal is an effort towards synergizing experiences and knowledge exchange on diverse sectors related to sustainable development. The portal includes sectors covering – Energy; Climate Change; Natural Resources; Waste Management; Sustainable Infrastructure; Poverty & Livelihoods; and Health.

The website features:

Resources: This platform serves as a comprehensive repository of knowledge resources on various issues related to sustainable development. Under Success Stories, case studies and best practices are captured to demonstrate innovation initiatives. Innovations highlight clean and appropriate technologies that have implications at global as well as local level. Information Bank is a collation of bibliographic details of information resources such as Government documents; research papers; policy briefs; reports; policies, acts and notifications. News section provides details of recent developments in the field of sustainable development.

Statistical Data: Statistics are of importance for preparation, planning and monitoring of policies as well as for scientific research. This section provides spatial and graphical representation of statistics in the form of maps and graphics arranged according to location and themes.

Knowledge Café: This section includes interviews and deliberations of eminent personalities sharing their views on sustainable development issues.

Policy Instruments: This platform facilitates sharing best practices and case studies on various policy instruments with an objective to help policy-makers and the civil society to make informed policy choices.

Share Your Knowledge: This platform allows registered users to submit resources in the form of form of innovations, success stories, papers, statistics, recent developments related to sustainable development.

For more information, visit www.kxsd.org.

Source: TERI.