TERI’s WSDS 2025: Advancing Climate Action and Sustainable Development Through Global Partnerships

The 24th edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) will be held from March 5-7, 2025, in New Delhi. Organized annually by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), WSDS is a leading global event dedicated to advancing sustainable development and climate solutions.

TERI’s flagship summit will unite global leaders to accelerate climate action, advance partnerships, drive innovation, and deliver solutions for a resilient and sustainable future

As the only independently convened international summit on sustainable development and the environment based in the Global South, WSDS 2025 will focus on the theme ‘Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions,’ highlighting the need for collaborative efforts to address global climate challenges and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the world off-track in meeting SDGs and facing an urgent need to reduce emissions, the summit will focus on the power of partnerships to drive action.

The summit is expected to see the Opening Address by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

The Summit is taking place in a year which will mark a decade since the adoption of sustainable development goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. In addition to the inaugural and valedictory sessions, the Summit will include seven plenary sessions which are high-level sessions on themes such as sustainable finance, energy transitions, nature, climate commitments, resilience, innovations and mainstreaming sustainable development. The Summit will also see over 24 thematic tracks.

WSDS 2025 will bring together global leaders, policymakers, scientists, industry experts, and youth leaders to discuss messages for accelerating SDGs, including the role of partnerships, discussions and inputs as a build-up for COP30, leading to COP33, which India has made bid to host, measures to ramp up ambitions on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and India taking the lead for the global south and set the global narrative in the current climate action scenario.

Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Director General of TERI, emphasized the importance of partnerships in transformative climate action, stating that WSDS 2025 will foster global collaboration for innovation and sustainability.

Mr. Ajay Shankar, Distinguished Fellow at TERI, highlighted the summit’s role in addressing sustainability challenges by uniting diverse voices for actionable solutions.

Dr. Shailly Kedia, Curator of WSDS, noted that the event will focus on accelerating sustainable development, shaping COP30 discussions, and advancing NDC 3.0 for climate justice.

Some of the prominent speakers to be present at WSDS 2025 include Prof Jim Skea, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Mr Martin Raiser, Vice President, South Asia, The World Bank; Prof Jeffrey Sachs, President, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Mr Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, United Nations; Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation; Prof Petteri Taalas, Director General, Finnish Meteorological Institute; Ms Dia Mirza, Actor, Producer, UN Secretary General’s Advocate for SDGs, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador; Mr Manish Chourasia, Chief Operating Officer, Tata Capital Ltd; Ms Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group; Ms Sujata Gupta, Director, Asian Development Bank; Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); Ms Amanda Maxwell, Managing Director, Global Division, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Dr Julie Reviere, Country Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

A key highlight will be the Sustainable Development Leadership Award (SDLA), which recognizes global leaders for contributions to sustainability, launches of knowledge documents, and the Act4Earth Manifesto, encapsulating the Summit’s key takeaways and promoting year-round stakeholder engagement.

Instituted in 2001 as the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, WSDS has a legacy of over two decades as a premier global platform for sustainability discourse, mobilizing collective action through high-level ministerial sessions, plenaries, thematic tracks, and exhibitions on green innovations.