UNEA outcomes must remain practical and implementable for all: India at UN
The UNEA is the world’s apex decision-making body on environmental matters consisting of all UN member states, and the seventh session’s theme is ‘Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet’
By R Anil Kumar
Geneva/ Bengaluru. Stressing on the importance of accessible finance and technology transfer for developing countries, India said on December 11, at the plenary of United Nations Environment Assembly’s (UNEA) seventh session that the outcome of the conference should aim to complement existing multilateral agreements, and should be implementable for all member states.
Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State For Environment, Forest and Climate Change, presented India’s national statement during the high-level segment of UNEA-7 at Nairobi, Kenya.
The UNEA is the world’s apex decision-making body on environmental matters consisting of all UN member states, and the seventh session’s theme is ‘Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet’.
During his brief statement, Singh said that India approaches UNEA-7 with the conviction that environmental solutions must remain centred on people and that global action must be guided by the principles of equity, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), and respect for national circumstances. The principles of CBDR-RC refers to the responsibilities of nations to fight climate change in proportion to their historic contributions in emitting planet-warming greenhouse gases.
“For many developing countries, accessible finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building remain essential enablers of effective implementation. In this context, UNEA outcomes should aim to complement existing MEAs (multilateral environmental agreements), keep additional reporting requirements manageable, and remain practical and implementable for all member states,” Singh said.
The minister cited some of India’s flagship initiatives to combat environmental degradation and climate change, such as achieving 50% non-fossil fuel installed electricity capacity, energy transition actions, and afforestation initiatives. India’s environmental action, he said, was not merely as a policy imperative but as a pathway to dignity, opportunity and well-being.
Internationally, Singh said, India continues to advance collective action through International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuels Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and International Big Cat Alliance alongside several other knowledge and capacity-sharing initiatives.
Earlier this week, the Global Environment Outlook -7 (GEO-7) report warned that despite global efforts and calls for action, the planet has already entered into uncharted territory. It said the rate of global warming is likely to be higher than the central estimates of previous projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, increasing the risk of irreversibly passing several climate tipping points in the next few decades.
These will manifest through shifts in ocean circulation, accelerated ice sheet loss, widespread thawing of glaciated earth or permafrost, forest degradation and collapse of coral reef ecosystems.
The GEO-7 is the most comprehensive scientific assessment of the global environment and brings together the voices of 287 experts from 82 countries and with contributions from over 800 reviewers worldwide.
