Permanent Mission of India

New York

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At the informal Briefing on the priorities and preparations for the 2025 UNFCCC COP30

Statement by Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative
5 March 2025

We thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this crucial briefing on the priorities and preparations for COP30 by the President-designate of COP30. I also congratulate my friend Ambassador Andre Aranha Correa do Lago on his appointment as the President-Designate of COP 30 and convey our support for his successful tenure. Allow me to make a few points even as we align wuth the G77 plus China position as articulated by Ambassador of Iraq.

1. India remains steadfast in its belief that tackling climate change requires a fair, inclusive, and balanced approach, firmly rooted in climate justice and the foundational principles of equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), as enshrined in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Any attempt to dilute or sidestep these principles risks undermining the trust and cooperation necessary for collective global action.

2. At COP30, India will push for an unequivocal commitment to enhanced climate finance—finance that is predictable, transparent, and accessible—crucial for the large-scale deployment of clean energy, disaster-resilient infrastructure, and adaptation projects. The developing world requires trillions of dollars for a just transition, and yet, the developed nations have consistently fallen short of their financial obligations. The cost of this failure is borne disproportionately by the people in developing countries, who have contributed the least to the problem but suffer the most from its consequences. Public climate finance from developed countries must fully compensate for the additional burden placed on developing nations as they deviate from their least-cost development pathways.

3. Friends, Public Climate Finance is not charity; it is not development cooperation. It is an obligation following from the poluuter pays principle. Ambition cannot be a one way street. It cant be limited to NDCs alone. It must extend to Public Climate Finance too. India has expressed deep disappointment with the outcome of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance at COP29, which blatantly disregarded the needs and concerns of the developing world. COP30 must correct this course by ensuring substantially scaled-up and timely climate finance, allowing developing countries to transition equitably to low-carbon development pathways or adapt to the accelerating devastation of climate change.

4. India also continues to call for unrestricted access to affordable and appropriate climate technologiesfor developing nations, accompanied by robust capacity-building initiatives. Innovation and technological cooperation must not be held hostage by artificial barriers imposed by developed nations; instead, they should serve as a force multiplier in the global fight against climate change.

5. COP29 made progress in establishing standards for international carbon markets and carbon credit transfers. COP30 must work to ensure that these mechanisms uphold integrity and transparency, avoiding unnecessary bureaucratic complications that could stifle participation and effectiveness.

6. Friends, India is one of the few nations on track to fulfil our Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs). India achieved its initial NDC target of a 33% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030—11 years ahead of schedule, in 2019. Today, India ranks 4th globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity, 4th in Wind Power, and 5th in Solar Power. Our ambitious National Green Hydrogen Mission is poised to position India as a global leader in green hydrogen production, usage, and export. Our new NDCs would be in tune to achive our net zero target by 2070.

In conclusion, India reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Paris Agreement and to working with all nations to ensure that COP30 delivers concrete, ambitious, and just outcomes. The time for real, tangible support—both financial and technological— is now.

Thank you!

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