The XUB Sustainability Summit, organised by the Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, was inaugurated on August 12 at the Xavier Institute of Management here.
Governor Dr SC Jamir inaugurated the summit and presided over the event as chief guest. He spoke of the criticality of humanity progressing on a sustainable development pathway, especially in context of the profound implications these issues have for global peace, stability and security.
The other distinguished personalities who graced the occasion were Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India Secretary Upendra Tripathy, Tata Steel Corporate Strategy and Planning chief Anup Sahay, WIPRO Sustainability VP and Head PS Narayan and UNICEF Bhubaneswar field office chief YumiBae.
The theme of the summit was Energy, Peace and Global Governance.The welcome address was given by Prof S Peppin, Dean, Xavier School of Sustainability (XSoS), which was followed by an introductory address by Fr Paul Fernandes, Vice Chancellor, Xavier University.
The keynote address was delivered by Anup Sahay. He highlighted the importance of developing close synergies between Governments, industry, civil society and academia in order to build a truly sustainable society.
Similar sentiments were echoed by PS Narayan. Yumi Bae spoke of the urgent need to balance human and economic development with the survival of the planet.Vote of thanks was proposed by Fr lourduraj SJ.
The plenary was chaired by Prof Dr Fr Paul Fernandes and moderated by Prof P D Jose from IIM Bangalore. The speakers for this session were Farookh Mistree, lA Comp Chair and Professor, University of Oklahoma, USA, Dr Aditi Haldar, Director, GRI, Regional Hub, South Asia, Ashok Panikkar, Founder, Meta Culture, Bangalore, lars Bernd, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction Section, UNICEF - New Delhi, Shankar Venkateswaran, Chief, Tata Sustainability Group, New Delhi and Vandana Jain, Head-Education Division, Bharat Sokka Gokkai, New Delhi.