New Delhi: The third Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency concluded on Tuesday with a commitment to facilitate tangible outcomes through a consensus driven approach.

The three day meeting witnessed a participation of 141 delegates from G20 countries and 10 invitee countries. The representatives of 14 international and regional organisations also attended deliberations conducted over the 3 days.

The 3 priories outlined for the ECSWG were arresting land degradation, promoting circular economy and giving impetus to blue economy. All meetings focused on specific theme out of these three themes.

The  3^rd ECSWG,  focussed on Blue Economy and was supported by two side events – Mega Beach Clean Up Event and the Ocean 20 Dialogue on Day 1 of the meeting.

The Mega Beach Clean Up Event at Juhu in Mumbai was a successful event which saw participation of 20 countries and 37 Indian beaches from the coastal states and Union Territories.

The massive drive organized to sensitize people and create awareness is in alignment with the Prime Minister’s message on ‘Swachhta’ and ‘Jan Bhagidari’ and highlights the significance of ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ (LiFE) concept and the the importance of individual actions in tackling the menace of marine pollution.

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The Ocean 20 Dialogue brought together international experts, innovators, community representatives, policymakers, and industry leaders to facilitate discussions on aspects related to emerging science-technology-innovation driven solutions, challenges associated with effective and inclusive policy and governance, and avenues for establishing finance mechanisms to support national and regional Blue Economy endeavors.

The second day started with inaugural address by Kapil M Patil, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, who congratulated the Working Group on the resounding success of the Mega Beach Clean Up Event and appreciated the hard work done by the ECSWG in the area of climate change and environment issues.

The 3rd ECSWG meeting ended on a discussion mode on the Communique, to be further deliberated upon and refined in the virtual meetings scheduled over the next few weeks, as a run up to the 4^th  and final ECSWG meeting to be held in Chennai from 26^th to 27^th July, with the Minister’s meet on 28^th July, 2023.