By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon and a host of world leaders will congregate in the capital on February 5 to prepare a roadmap on tackling the crisis of climate change well ahead of the Copenhagen conference scheduled later this year.
They will participate at a three-day Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2009 hosted by the Energy and Resource Institute (TERI).
‘Towards Copenhagen: an equitable and ethical approach’ will be the theme for DSDS 2009, TERI General Secretary R K Pachauri said at a press conference here on Thursday.
“With ministerial participation from over 10 countries, the summit assumes importance as it connects issues related to sustainable development with climate change,” Pachauri said.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the summit in the absence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Nobel laureates, leaders from over ten countries like Australia, Denmark and Japan, and heads of state of four countries will participate.
Special focus during the summit will be on Africa as it will help generate new thinking towards improving the quality of collective action and responses to adaptation and mitigation, Pachauri said.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and US Senator John Kerry will also address the summit through videoconferencing, while former British premier Tony Blair will make a presentation through video text.
“The idea is also to bring together all the stakeholders on a single platform to discuss the climate issue. Besides, the large number presence of ministerial delegation from Africa can help evolve new spirit of cooperation,” he added.
An award for contribution towards the cause of sustainable development will also be given away during the summit.