Will protect the interest of developing nations at COP22: India

India on Saturday said that it will protect the interests of the developing countries at the upcoming COP 22 at Morocco and strongly present their view points

"India will put across its views based on Indian, or Gandhian lifestyle in Morocco. The issues related to raising finance under Green Climatic Fund (GFC) and technology transfer will also be raised at COP22," said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Anil Madhav Dave.

A Pavilion will be set up at the venue - Morocco's Marrakech - to showcase the steps taken by India on climate change.

According to an Environment Ministry statement, enhancing ambition and promoting action between 2016-2020 and mobilising means of implementation - finance, technology and capacity-building support before and after 2020 - were among the crucial upcoming negotiations at COP22,

 

"The $11 billion per year climate finance goal has not been met. At Morocco, India will insist for a concrete road map from developed countries. $10.3 billion committed to the Green Climate Fund does not match the enormous finance and technology requirements indicated by developing countries in their INDCs," it said.

"On the technology and capacity-building front also, not much headway has been made. The new Technology Framework under the Paris Agreement should help to remove barriers to technology access and provide finance for meeting higher technological costs."

The statement also said that among the other important issues for the COP22, included furthering the cause of adaption and loss and damage, detailing rule and modalities under Paris Agreement and furthering the agenda on sustainable lifestyles and climate justice.

"Paris Agreement has laid a broad framework, but guidelines and rules need to be detailed for the Agreement to be operational. Pending task such as modalities for market mechanism, transparency arrangements, features of NDCs, facilitative dialogue, must be expedited, starting from Morocco COP. Several new bodies such as the Paris Committee on capacity-building, the Technology Framework etc must also be ready before 2020," it said.

According to the Indian government, it will ratify the Paris Agreement (on Climate Change) on October 2, or Gandhi Jayanti. Ratification by India will help generate the political momentum necessary to bring the Amendment in force.

"India's decision to ratify the Paris agreement has come after ensuring compliance of domestic legal requirements, internal discussions and after obtaining clarity from UNFCCC with regard to transparency and participation of Parties in the future processes," said the statement.

"Countries have been assured by UNFCCC that other Parties will be given sufficient time to ratify the Paris Agreement, at least till 2018, so that future decision-making is as inclusive as possible. India through its participation in the Paris Agreement, under the UNFCCC process, will articulate the interests of the poor and vulnerable groups," it added.

--IANS

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