Latest news with #SustainableDevelopmentGoals
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
IIT-Madras eyes global top 50 with major expansion plans
NEW DELHI: Indian Institutes of Technology and IISc are unlikely to break into the list of world's top 50 universities unless they run full-fledged medical colleges, IIT-Madras director Professor V Kamakoti has said, revealing that the institution is considering setting up a medical college to overcome this gap in its portfolio. In an exclusive interaction with TOI, Kamakoti said IIT-M has already begun internal discussions on establishing a medical college, which would be integrated with its engineering and science departments, as part of its long-term vision, and is looking for a large hospital. Further, the institution has planned a global outreach through its proposed research centres in Dubai, Malaysia, and Germany and a sustainability campus in Puducherry, another important parameter for global rankings that Indian institutions lag on. In what's an unconventional move, IIT-M has formalised a platform to help its students prepare for civil services exams. 'If you want to come into top 50 (in global rankings), you must have a medical school,' Kamakoti stressed, adding, 'The top-ranked universities all have global campuses, deep-research collaborations, and, critically, medical schools'. He added: 'This is not just about rankings — it's about enabling convergence in areas like AI in healthcare, biomedical engineering, and public health. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 새로 나온 '실손보험' 최적가 비교가입! "월 보험료 줄이고, 보장은 더 든든하게"... 굿리치 보험대리점 (등록번호:제2006038313호) 가입하기 Undo A medical college will amplify our research depth and societal impact'. On the plan for developing a sustainability-focused campus in Puducherry, the director said, 'This campus will be a living laboratory for climate, water, and energy research'. Explaining the move, he added: 'Sustainability is now a global benchmark in rankings. That's why we've started School of Sustainability under School for Interdisciplinary Studies. It's aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Every project must resonate with these goals — from green tech to zero-emission housing. Auroville collaborations in Puducherry are a part of this vision'. To expand global footprint, the institution will go for research collaborations and set up satellite centres in Dubai, Malaysia, and Germany. These will encourage Indian researchers to work on global problems and offer Indian students cross-border learning. 'It's called IITM Global,' Kamakoti said, detailing the vision behind the international outreach. 'If you solve an issue for India, you've solved it for the world. Our IITM Global will take these to Malaysia, Germany, Dubai (by this academic year), and beyond.' Kamakoti also highlighted IIT-M's initiative to nurture engineers for civil services. To enable this, institute has created Pragati, a platform to guide and support UPSC aspirants on campus. 'We want our students to start early — during BTech or MTech — with structured preparation, peer interactions, and access to faculty and civil servants who've walked that path,' he said. 'We're not just a tech school anymore — we're shaping India's future in several ways,' Kamakoti summed up.
Canada News.Net
8 hours ago
- General
- Canada News.Net
London: International Widows Conference issues call to action "Don't Leave Widows Behind" in global push for gender equality
London [UK], June 26 (ANI): Global leaders and advocates gathered at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London on Tuesday for the International Widows Conference, marking the 15th UN International Widows Day, to call for a renewed global commitment to ending the widespread discrimination faced by widows and integrating their rights into the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Widows Conference was convened by The Loomba Foundation, as per a release. Under the theme 'Don't Leave Widows Behind', the conference brought together distinguished speakers including Cherie Blair CBE KC, President of The Loomba Foundation; Lakshmi Puri, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women; Lord Khan of Burnley, UK Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement; the High Commisioner of Rwanda to the UK, HE Johnston Busingye, and representatives of grassroots organisations from Africa and South Asia. Opening the conference, Cherie Blair reflected on the 28-year journey of the Foundation and the fight to have International Widows Day recognised by the United Nations in 2010. Speaking at the event, she said, 'This is not a day for self-congratulation. It is a day to focus the world's attention on the 258 million widows around the globe--and the tens of millions among them who are trapped in poverty, stigma, isolation and abuse... When widows are given even half a chance, they feed their families, send their children to school, and lead. Yet, the promise of International Widows Day remains unfulfilled for far too many.' The conference served as a powerful platform for reflection and recommitment, underscored by the findings of the Loomba Foundation's landmark 2024 study, Not Leaving Widows Behind. Cited by multiple speakers including Puri and Lord Loomba, the study highlighted that while awareness has grown, the everyday realities for most widows--dispossession, marginalisation, and lack of protection--remain largely unchanged, press release stated. Puri called for 'transformational investment' and laid out five 'vital energies' for widow empowerment: legal reform, economic upliftment, data and accountability, leadership inclusion, and cultural change. 'Widowhood remains one of the most overlooked global injustices,' she said. 'A UN day cannot alone resolve entrenched injustice. That duty falls to all of us.' Representing the UK Government, Lord Khan of Burnley reaffirmed Britain's continued commitment, saying, 'Widowhood is not a marginal concern. It is a global human rights issue affecting over 280 million women. The UK stands with the Loomba Foundation in calling for policies that uphold widows' rights and challenge harmful norms rooted in faith or tradition.' Grassroots leaders such as Dr Lily Thapa of Nepal, Roseline Orwa of Kenya, and Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi of Nigeria shared firsthand experiences of supporting widows in some of the most challenging environments, reminding attendees that meaningful change begins in communities, release stated. Kumar Dilip, President of Sulabh International, invoked the legacy of his late father, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, and the transformative work done with widows in India. He said, 'Let us be clear: the pain of widowhood is often compounded not by fate, but by society... Widows do not need pity--they need power.' Tabitha Morton, Executive Director of UN Women UK, echoed this message in her remarks: 'This is not a peripheral issue. It is central to achieving equality. Let's stop treating widowhood as a side-effect of gender inequality, and start treating it as a structural injustice that demands urgent action.' In closing the conference, Lord Raj Loomba CBE, Founder and Chairman Trustee of The Loomba Foundation, reaffirmed the Foundation's mission: 'No woman should be punished for outliving her husband. That is why we are here. That is why we fight. And that is why, together, we will make sure that widows are never left behind.' (ANI)
Scoop
8 hours ago
- General
- Scoop
Energy Access Has Improved, But More Funding Is Needed To Address Disparities: WHO
While the rate of basic access to energy has increased since 2022, the current pace is insufficient to reach universal access by 2030, one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report published by the WHO and partners this Wednesday. The report highlights the role of cost-effective distributed renewable energy — a combination of mini-grid and off-grid solar systems — in accelerating energy access, particularly as the populations who remain unconnected mostly live in remote, lower-income, and fragile areas. Regional disparities 'Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of electricity and clean cooking access remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa,' said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), as 85 per cent of the global population without electricity access reside in sub-Saharan Africa. In the region, renewables deployment has rapidly expanded; however, on average, it remains limited to 40 watts of installed capacity per capita — only one eighth of the average in other developing countries. Clean cooking As regional disparities persist, an estimated 1.5 billion people residing in rural areas still lack access to clean cooking, while over two billion people remain dependent on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and charcoal for their cooking needs. Yet, the use of off-grid clean technologies, such as household biogas plants and mini-grids that enable electric cooking, can offer solutions that reduce the health impacts caused by household air pollution. 'The same pollutants that are poisoning our planet are also poisoning people, contributing to millions of deaths each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable, including women and children," said Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. Lack of financing The report identified the lack of sufficient and affordable financing as a key reason for regional inequalities and slow progress. While international public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy have increased since 2022, the developing world received significantly fewer flows in 2023 than in 2016. 'This year's report shows that now is the time to come together to build on existing achievements and scale up our efforts,' said Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the UN Statistics Division, as the report called for strengthened international cooperation between the public and private sectors to scale up financial support for developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
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First Post
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
Netflix's 'The Royals' star Bhumi Pednekar on being approached by United Nations Development Programme: 'I was thrilled to collaborate because...'
In addition to making waves in Bollywood, Bhumi Pednekar is also making significant contributions towards sustainability and conserving the environment. Recently, the actress attended an environmental conclave in the city and revealed her first reaction when UNDP approached her. Throwing light on the same, Bhumi Pednekar shared, 'When they came to me, I was extremely thrilled and very honored by this opportunity because I always feel to collaborate because when you collaborate, you create more impact. That's what I'm trying to do with my role as an advocate for the UNDP.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For the unversed, Bhumi Pednekar was appointed as UNDP India's first national advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. Not only has she brought significant improvements in raising awareness about climate change through the platform, but she has also ensured to fulfill her duty as a responsible citizen. In addition to this, Bhumi has always been vocal about championing environmental sustainability. She started Climate Warrior, an online platform that raises awareness about grave issues like climate change and deforestation. While she continues to make meaningful contributions towards sustainability, she is all set to reaffirm her status as a dynamic actress through her upcoming project, Daldal. As the details about this project are much awaited, the audiences are also eager to see her reprise her role as Sophia Shekar in the second season of The Royals. Known for resonating with the audiences on the basis of emotions and making careful choices of projects, her admirers are keen to see more of her on-screen
The Star
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
UN bids to salvage global development summit after US boycott
MADRID/LONDON (Reuters) -Scores of world leaders will be sweltering in the summer sun of southern Spain next week at a once-a-decade United Nations development financing summit aimed at curbing global poverty, disease and the worst-case threats of climate change. Despite the scorching temperatures, though, a major chill looms over the event - the decision early this month by the United States, traditionally the world's largest aid giver and key finance provider, not to show up. UN countries want to close a $4 trillion-a-year funding gap they now estimate prevents the developing world achieving the organisation's Sustainable Development Goals that range from cutting infant death rates to minimising global warming. Critics say the promises at the heart of the conference - called the "Seville Commitment" - are nowhere near bold enough. The measures, agreed by consensus after a year of tough negotiations, include tripling multilateral lending capacity, debt relief, a push to boost tax-to-GDP ratios to at least 15%, and shifting special IMF money to countries that need it most. The run-up, however, has been marred by the U.S. decision to withdraw over what it said was the crossing of a number of its red lines, including the push to triple development bank lending, change tax rules and the use of the term "gender" in summit wording. The European Union only joined the summit with reservations, particularly over how debt is discussed within the UN. Speaking to reporters this week, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed described Washington's boycott as "regrettable", especially after its "catastrophic" recent aid cuts that she said had cost lives and livelihoods. Speaking alongside officials from summit host Spain and Zambia, which has helped organise it, she said the final outcome document agreed reflected both "ambition and realism" and that the U.N. would try to re-engage the U.S. afterwards. Remy Rioux, chief executive officer of the French Development Agency, said Washington's withdrawal had not been a total surprise given Donald Trump's views. The hope is that agreements next week will allow bolder action at the UN climate talks in Brazil in November. "We will push for the new framework... (and) its operationalisation from Seville to Belem," he added, referring to the Brazilian city that will host COP30. AID IN DECLINE Other measures to be announced include multilateral lenders automatically giving vulnerable countries the option to insert repayment break clauses into their loans in case of hurricane, drought or flood. Another buzz phrase will be a "Global SDR playbook" - a plan where the wealthiest countries rechannel the IMF's reserve-like Special Draw Rights they hold to the multilateral banks, who then leverage them as capital in order to lend more. Campaigners warn that it will fall far short of what is needed, especially as more than 130 countries now face critically high debt levels and many spend more on repayments than on health or education. Aid and support from rich countries, who themselves have rising debts, is dropping too. In March, the U.S. slashed more than 80% of programmes at its USAID agency following federal budget cuts spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk. Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have all made cuts in recent years too. The OECD projects a 9–17% drop in net official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, following a 9% decline in 2024. It looks set to hit the poorest countries hardest: bilateral ODA to least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa may fall by 13-25% and 16-28% respectively, the OECD estimates, and health funding could drop by up to 60% from its 2022 peak. So what would be a good outcome in Seville, especially given the U.S. pull-out? "We should make sure we are not backtracking at this point," said Orville Grey at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, referring to funding commitments. "We should at least remain stable." (Reporting by David Latona in Madrid and Marc Jones in London, additional reporting by Simon Jessop in London; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
