A G20 Seminar on ‘Financing for SDGs: Blueprint to achieve a Sustainable Future’ was organised at Gauhati University, on Tuesday prior to the 1st G20 Sustainable Finance and Working Group (SFWG) meeting.

The G20 Seminar was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Pratap Jyoti Handique, Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University. The opening remarks were given by Ms. Geetu Joshi, Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. She highlighted that the underlying idea of the event is to spread awareness about the importance of G20.

The keynote address was given by Dr. D.P. Goyal, Director, IIM, Shillong. In his address, Dr. Goyal stated that IIM, Shillong and Sustainability are closely inter-linked and shared his perspective on the topic. Mr. Sunil Nair, CGM, RBI gave a special address on the ‘Role of Banks in Financing of SDGs’, in which he highlighted the key role of banks and the steps they could take in this regard.

The seminar also had two panel discussions. The first Panel Discussion on ‘Sustainable Financing: Way Ahead to achieve Agenda 2030’ was chaired by Ms. Geetu Joshi. The Panelists comprised industry experts, namely Ms. Neha Kumar from Climate Bonds Initiative, Ms. Prarthana Borah from CDP India, Dr. Rouhin Deb, Chief Economist from Government of Assam, Ms. Roopa Satish from IndusInd Bank and Dr. Soumen Bagchi from UNICEF.

The second panel discussion on the ‘Role of Financial Sector Regulators in Financing the SDGs’ was chaired by Mr. Brij Raj, GM, RBI. The Panelists comprised senior officers from financial sector regulators, namely Mr. Amit Sinha from RBI, Ms. Surabhi Gupta from SEBI, Mr. Ammu Venkata Ramana fromIRDAI and Mr. Abhilash Mulakala from IFSCA. The panelists in both the sessions offered excellent insights from their vast experience on the topic and gave several useful suggestions on ‘Financing the SDGs’. The seminar was interactive and appreciated by the participants.

Meanwhile, the cote of thanks was given by Dr. Hemanta Kumar Nath, Registrar, Gauhati University.