World Circular Economy Forum Heads To Gujarat In South Asia First
Gujarat will host the global circular economy forum.
Gandhinagar will host the first World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) to be held in South Asia, bringing together more than 2,000 stakeholders from over 65 countries to discuss resource efficiency, circular finance, innovation and international cooperation. The forum will be held at Mahatma Mandir on September 15 and 16 under the theme ‘Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity’.
The event will be jointly inaugurated on Tuesday by Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The inaugural session will also be attended by state Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Arjun Modhwadia, Finland’s Ambassador to India Mikko Kivikoski, Sitra President Atte Jääskeläinen, Marieke Spijkerboer of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, along with senior officials from the Centre and Gujarat government.
The forum is being jointly organised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Government of Finland, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Gujarat government and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. It is intended to showcase India’s initiatives in the circular economy while strengthening international cooperation, particularly among countries of the Global South.
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Discussions at the two-day forum will focus on mobilising circular finance and private-sector investment, policy dialogue, cross-sector partnerships, innovation, digitalisation and technology. The main programme will include four plenary sessions and 16 thematic sessions covering areas such as artificial intelligence, employment opportunities, energy generation, finance, governance, sustainable products, industrial solutions, start-up ecosystems and youth leadership.
An international expo at Mahatma Mandir will feature more than 125 national and international exhibitors, highlighting circular-economy solutions developed by start-ups and innovations ready for investment. The forum will also coincide with an in-person meeting of the Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns on September 15. India has recently assumed the role of co-chair of the board, which promotes sustainable consumption and production.
The wider WCEF programme will continue on September 17 and 18, with global partners scheduled to organise 80 accelerator sessions in online, hybrid and in-person formats in Gandhinagar and other locations worldwide. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony on September 16, while Finland’s Climate and Environment Minister Sari Multala and other Gujarat ministers are also expected to participate. The event will conclude with the formal handover of the forum to its next host.
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