Gujarat will host the next round of G20 meetings from March 27 to April 4, during which three conclaves on a variety of issues will be held in the state, with delegates from various countries converged for participation, according to an official.
India currently holds the year-long presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), which includes 19 countries from various continents as well as the European Union (EU).
Of these three upcoming events in the state, the first meeting on “Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)” will take place between March 27 and 29 in Gandhinagar, a senior IAS officer, who is coordinating G20 events in Gujarat, said on Tuesday.
In attendance
“This is the second meeting of ECSWG. It will be inaugurated by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant in the presence of several senior Central government officials and subject experts,” said Mona Khandhar, Principal Secretary (Economic Affairs), state finance department.
Some of these dignitaries include Leena Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Debashree Mukherjee, Additional Secretary – Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti and G Ashok Kumar, Director General, Mission for Clean Ganga, she told reporters.
Officials from the Central Water Commission, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services would also participate, said the senior bureaucrat.
“Representatives from nearly 30 countries, including the United States, Argentina, Brazil, China, France and Germany, will take part in the three-day event,” said Khandhar.
Various discussions
The first day will feature discussions on “Best Practices in Water Resources” and other related topics. Guests will then be taken to the famous Adalaj Stepwell, the Narmada Canal Syphon on the Sabarmati River, and the Sabarmati Riverfront.
On March 28, she said, technical sessions would be held on five key topics: climate resilient infrastructure, groundwater management, water sanitation and hygiene, climate change mitigation, resource efficiency, and the circular economy.