Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2013 organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) today at the Taj Palace Hotel. Our school has sent a team of primary students to this summit in which my sister is also a member.

He said "The present global inequities built into the global economic order are patently unsustainable. At the same time, we also have to share the ecological and economic space of only one Earth. This in turn will demand re-engineering our economies in ways that are both frugal and innovative in their use of scarce resources. Concepts like Green National Accounting are useful tools that could help us ensure that goods and services are produced with minimal ecological and social impact."

Most of the speakers  called for global action that tackles sustainable development in conjunction with other social and economic issues. The President of Seychelles called for the need to 'keep people at the centre of our development strategies.

A feeling of disappointment with the Rio 20+ conference and the outcome document 'The Future We Want' prevailed in the discussions. The President of Guayana said "The third world is carrying a disproportionate burden, while they have not been the major contributor, as in the case of carbon emissions." The President of Kiribati said The secret to the inability to progress lies in the different interpretations of the Future We Want." He further asked "Are we here to secure the future of each other's children or just our own?"

Lord John Prescott, Former Deputy Prime Minister of UK, stressed that while the international community knows what needs to be done, the lack of political will needs to be overcome if any real action is to be taken.

Dr. Pachauri asked for controlled resource extraction, which is the highest in Asia.

H.E. Ms. Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland, emphasized the critical role that women empowerment can play.