G20’s second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) Meeting to be held in Gandhinagar from 27-29, March 2023

 The Second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting will be held at Gandhinagar from 27-29 March 2023. The Second ECSWG will commence with a side event on water resources management wherein presentations on Best Practices in Water Resources Management by G20 member countries will take place. This will be followed by an excursion and site visit to Adalaj Vav which demonstrate the ancient water management practices of India and India’s long-standing tradition of conserving its water resources in a beautiful ambience.

This will be followed by a site visit to ‘Sabarmati siphon and escape on Narmada main canal’, which demonstrates India’s engineering prowess as the Narmada river’s waters flow through a huge tunnel built under the bed of the river and continues on the other side. Delegates will also visit Sabarmati River front, to witness the waste water management practices like use of treated water from the sewage treatment plants to replenish the river.

Over the subsequent two days, technical discussions on India ECSWG themes- Accelerating Ecosystem Restoration and Enriching Biodiversity; Promoting a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Blue Economy; and Encouraging Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy will take place. Delegates will also get a glimpse of Gujarat’s vibrant cultural traditions through its dances and music performances, specially curated for the delegates.

To review the preparedness for the Second ECSWG meeting, a meeting was held today between Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Ms. Leena Nandan and Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat, Shri Raj Kumar. Secretary, MoEF&CC also held discussions with Head of structures/arrangement for G20 Summit meetings, Smt. Mona Khandhar. During the meeting, Addl Chief Secretary, Forest & Environment Department, Shri Arunkumar Solanki; PCCF& HoFF, Shri S K Chaturvedi, and PPCF(WL), Shri Nityananad Srivastava from Forest department were also present. Aspects pertaining to branding, security, venue management, cultural events showcasing Gujarat’s traditions and other logistic arrangements were deliberated. The State Government assured full preparedness for a warm welcome to all G-20 delegates and to ensure that the event is a grand success.

India shall be holding the Presidency of G20 for one year, till 30th November 2023. The forum will bring together the G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations invited by India. Through the Sherpa Track, 13 Working Groups and 2 initiatives will meet under India’s Presidency to discuss priorities and provide recommendations.

Environment and Climate Sustainability is one of working groups under the Sherpa track. Four Meetings of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) are scheduled to be held at Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Chennai. These meetings will be hosted by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The first G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting concluded in Bengaluru on a positive note with all G20 countries expressing support on the themes outlined by MoEF&CC for India’s Presidency.