76th UNGA Second Committee

Agenda Item 20 Sustainable Development

INDIA STATEMENT

By Ms. Sneha Dubey, First Secretary

12 October 2021

Madam Chair,

We thank Secretary General for his reports under this agenda item. India associates itself with the statement delivered by Guinea on behalf of Group of 77.

Madam Chair,

2. When we talk of global climate action, it is critical that words are accompanied by concrete action. India is the only country among G20, which is on course to meet the Paris targets.   A global Net-Zero should be based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and of equity. In order to vacate the carbon space in 2050 for developing countries to grow, the developed countries should do Net-Minus. There still exists a large gap to achieve commitment by developed countries to provide US Dollars 100 billion for climate action.  Our initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure are examples of India’s contribution to global climate partnership.

3. India’s inclusive energy agenda has aimed to deliver universally accessible, adequate, reliable and sustainable energy at rational prices. Citizen-centric measures, especially gender-sensitive initiatives, have been deployed like solarisation of agriculture, scaling up clean cooking, distributing LED bulbs and solar roof top programme for transforming the energy consumer into a producer.

Madam Chair,

4.Putting biodiversity on a path to recovery is the defining challenge of our time. India is now among the top 3 countries to have gained in forest areas in the last decade. Around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added over the same period. And we are happy to share that there has been a significant rise in the population of lions, tigers, leopards and Gangetic river dolphins in India in the last five to seven years.

5. Land degradation poses a special challenge to the developing world. India has worked to implement the UN Convention to Combat Desertification with an aim to not just arrest environmental degradation but reverse it. We are on track to achieve our national commitment of Land degradation neutrality. We are also working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This would contribute to India's commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international forums. The Delhi Declaration of 2019 called for better access and stewardship over land, and emphasized gender-sensitive transformative projects. India is assisting other developing countries to evolve their land restoration strategies as well.

Madam Chair,

6. At the 2019 Climate Summit, India launched the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). 26 countries and 5 international organisations have already joined the CDRI. India has allocated US$ 70 million to support the work of this important international initiative that aims to garner attention towards Infrastructure damage during natural disasters, which especially impacts the poorer nations. 

Madam Chair,

7. The disruption caused by the Covid pandemic has disproportionately impacted the Global South. The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is a practical manifestation of sustainable development in the spirit of South-South cooperation. The Fund established in 2017, aims to contribute to the efforts of developing countries, especially Small Island Developing States, towards the realization of the 2030 Agenda.  The Fund has already supported projects in 48 countries including in Pacific Islands, Africa, Caribbean, for various SDGs through a US dollars 150 million multi-year pledge by the Government of India.

8. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that sustainable development will only be achieved by collective efforts. India, for its part will continue to work in this direction. And we believe our human centric approach would be a force multiplier for global good.

I thank you.