New Delhi: India has called for a people-centred and equity-driven approach to global climate action during the Third Annual High-Level Ministerial Roundtable on Just Transition at CoP30 in Belém, Brazil. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the ongoing discussions under the UAE Just Transition Work Programme offer an important space for countries to share their perspectives, adding that the four dialogues so far have been “engaging and a good platform to put across views”.
Yadav said a just transition must be understood as “an economy-wide, all-inclusive, people-centred transformation that must respect national circumstances, ensure equity, and secure social justice”. He noted that such a transition must allow nations to contribute meaningfully to global mitigation efforts without placing their developmental needs at risk.
Outlining the core elements of a just transition, he said it includes strengthening resilience, creating employment, protecting livelihoods, eradicating poverty, ensuring food security, and providing social protection. He added that every country must retain the ability to decide its development pathways in line with its priorities and conditions.
Highlighting the different starting points of countries, Yadav said this diversity makes nationally determined and demand-driven approaches essential. He argued that global efforts must stay away from uniform models and added that “developing countries require sufficient policy space to bridge development gaps, address systemic vulnerabilities, and ensure the well-being of their people according to their stage of development and national conditions”.
Expressing concern over emerging unilateral policies, he said, “Unilateral actions, particularly trade-restrictive climate measures, undermine the principles of equity and justice and act as serious dis-enablers of a fair and equitable just transition”. He called for stronger multilateral cooperation and affordable access to finance, technology and capacity building for developing nations.
Yadav said India, along with several developing countries, supports the creation of a Just Transition Mechanism, adding that it is essential for moving from dialogue to actionable solutions. For the Global South, he said, “affordable and adequate access to finance, technology, and capacity building, aligned with national circumstances, is vital to ensure that no one is left behind”.
He said India expects a forward-looking outcome at Belém and added, “India looks forward to an ambitious outcome at Belém, with the establishment of this Mechanism to address a critical gap in delivering the Convention and Paris Agreement. We must now operationalise Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) to advance a truly just transition”.
BI Bureau
