Amritapuri, September 1, 2025 — The International Conference on Sustainable & Resilient Futures (ICSRF 2025) convened leading global experts, policymakers, and practitioners at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, fostering dialogue on advancing sustainability through science, policy, and practice.

One of the conference’s most impactful sessions was delivered by Dr. Bhavani Rao, Dean of the Amrita School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

Her keynote address, “Designing for Humanity: Pointers from the Field in the Context of Water and Climate Change”, underscored the double-edged nature of technology. She noted that while technology has the power to amplify human progress, it can also exacerbate consumption and exploitation if applied without foresight. Citing Jevons’ Paradox, Dr. Rao highlighted the risk of efficiency gains leading to increased overall resource use—reminding the audience that sustainability demands more than innovation alone.

Dr. Rao introduced the AWESOME framework, developed by the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE), as a systems-oriented approach to understanding social and environmental challenges. By situating issues within their wider contexts, the framework equips practitioners to design interventions that are both effective and sustainable. She also drew on Elinor Ostrom’s Principles for governing common resources, emphasizing their relevance for guiding responsible technology design.

Concluding her session, Dr. Rao called for a values-based approach rooted in dharma, ensuring that technological progress aligns with human well-being and planetary resilience. Her message resonated with ICSRF 2025’s overarching mission: building a future that is not only sustainable but also just, equitable, and resilient.