Gandhinagar will host the second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)
conference from March 27–29, 2023. The Second ECSWG will open with a side event on water resources management, where G20 member nations will submit their Best Practices in managing water resources. After that, there will be an excursion and a site visit to Adalaj Vav, where you can see how India used to work its water resources in the old days and how it has a long history of protecting its water supplies in a lovely setting.
A site visit to the “Sabarmati syphon and escape on Narmada main canal” would come after that. This exhibits India’s engineering expertise by showing how the Narmada river’s waters flow through a sizable tunnel dug under the riverbed and continue on the other side. Delegates will also go to the Sabarmati Riverfront to see how wastewater is managed by replenishing the river with purified water from sewage treatment facilities.
Technical discussions on the three India ECSWG themes of promoting a sustainable and climate-resilient blue economy, encouraging resource efficiency and circular economy, and accelerating ecosystem restoration and enriching biodiversity will take place over the next two days. With performances of Gujarat’s diverse cultural traditions, carefully chosen for the delegates, dances and music, delegates will also get a peek at Gujarat.
A meeting between Shri Raj Kumar, Chief Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, and Ms. Leena Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), was held today to discuss preparations for the Second ECSWG conference. The head of structures and arrangements for the G20 Summit meetings, Smt. Mona Khandhar and the secretary of MoEF&CC also spoke. Shri Arunkumar Solanki, Addl Chief Secretary, Forest & Environment Department, Shri S K Chaturvedi, PCCF& HoFF, and Shri Nityananad Srivastava, PPCF(WL), were also present at the meeting. Deliberations were held regarding branding, security, venue management, cultural events displaying Gujarati customs, and other logistical arrangements. The state government pledged to be fully prepared to greet every G-20 delegate and ensure the event was a huge success.
India will occupy the G20 Presidency from November 30, 2022, until November 30, 2023. The G20 members, guests, and foreign organisations have all been invited by India to the forum. 13 Working Groups and two projects will convene through the Sherpa Track during India’s Presidency to talk about objectives and provide suggestions.
As part of the Sherpa track, one of the working groups is environment and climate sustainability. The Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) will meet four times in Bengaluru, Chennai, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change will host these meetings (MoEF&CC). The G20 nations expressed support for the themes proposed by MoEF&CC for India’s Presidency as the inaugural meeting of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) reached a successful conclusion in Bengaluru.
