TERI University joins hands with UNEP to organise BLISS School 2016

Five-day programme aims to build learning in sustainable consumption and production patterns

Mumbai: TERI University, the leading institution dedicated to education for sustainable development, held the inaugural session of the BLISS (Building Learning in Sustainability Science) School on the subject ‘Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns’. The five-day programme, being organised under a Funding Agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is being attended by more than 100 participants on campus and online, that include policy planners from south Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India), as well as researchers, practitioners, academics and students. The programme comes is a part of the EU-funded SWITCH-Asia Regional Policy Support outreach which targets national and regional policy frameworks in South Asia to enhance their potential to implement Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices and transition to a greener economy.

The inaugural session saw the presence of Mr. Jitendra Kumar, Adviser Niti Aayog, as well as TERI University Vice Chancellor Dr. Leena Srivastava and Dr. Rajeev Seth, Pro-Vice Chancellor. In his keynote address, Mr. Jitendra Kumar highlighted the work of the Indian Government in mapping different Ministries to the UN-defined Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its role in achieving resource efficiency across value chains in different sectors. Further, he stressed on education as a primary driver for achieving the SDGs.

Dr. Shaleen Singhal, Head, Department of Policy Studies at TERI University who is also the director of this initiative, said, “BLISS School 2016 has been designed to address thematic areas like the challenges and opportunities for SCP at the national and South Asian regional level, planning and management for resource efficiency in urban habitats, innovation, technological and financial mechanisms for SCP, and mainstreaming SCP through stakeholder engagement and policymaking. It will provide participants with an in-depth look at the current SCP practices on SCP in South Asia and foster innovation in practical environmental-friendly design.”

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the sessions, lead by national and international experts in the field of sustainability from organisations like UNEP, 10YFP, leading Indian institutes including the IITs and JNU, as well as heads of various regional and South Asian government departments and development foundations cover case studies on leading practices and innovative policies promoting SCP at the national and South Asia regional levels. The event is being conducted on-campus at TERI University and simultaneously live-streamed through a webinar for online participants. The programme ends on April 22nd and all attendees will be awarded a ‘Certificate of Participation’ at the conclusion.