India to push for climate finance commitments, climate justice at COP31: Bhupender Yadav

New Delhi: India will push for predictable, adequate and concessional climate finance, stronger adaptation support and technology transfer at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.

Briefing the media in New Delhi on India’s priorities for COP31 and the outcomes of its participation in the recent biodiversity and desertification conferences, Yadav reaffirmed that India remains committed to making constructive contributions to global efforts to achieve the objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.

The Minister said climate finance would be one of India’s key priorities at COP31, with the country seeking a decision to initiate the Climate Finance Work Programme.

He stressed that developed countries must fulfil their financial obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, ensuring that climate finance is predictable, primarily public and concessional, and does not increase the debt burden of developing nations.

On climate mitigation, India will insist that discussions on the Global Stocktake remain Party-driven, facilitative and non-punitive, respecting the nationally determined nature of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The country will oppose the introduction of new top-down targets that disregard national circumstances and development priorities.

Adaptation will also remain a major focus, with India advocating voluntary indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), ensuring that such indicators do not become conditions for accessing climate finance.

The country will simultaneously seek scaled-up financial support for adaptation, particularly for vulnerable developing nations.

On the Just Transition Work Programme, India will support its continuation through a Party-driven mechanism, emphasising that the transition to cleaner energy must be guided by climate justice, the right to development and access to affordable energy.

Yadav said India would also underline that technology transfer is an obligation of developed countries and that barriers linked to costs, intellectual property rights and trade must be addressed. Participation in international carbon markets, he added, should remain voluntary.

India will further argue that voluntary initiatives under the COP31 Presidency Action Agenda should remain separate from formal negotiations and that uniform global targets must take into account the differing national circumstances of countries.

Highlighting the agricultural dimension of climate change, the Minister said India would draw attention to the close relationship between adaptation in agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers.

India’s engagements at COP31 will include the launch of LeadIT 3.0 in partnership with Sweden, along with high-level side events on coastal resilience and discussions on the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and forests.

Yadav said India would play a constructive and bridge-building role at Antalya, working towards outcomes that move global climate action beyond commitments towards effective implementation and adequate support.

Biodiversity: India stresses equitable finance and benefit-sharing

Sharing the outcomes of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), held in Yerevan, Armenia, the Minister said India reaffirmed its commitment to the effective and equitable implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

India emphasised the importance of national priorities, circumstances and legislative frameworks, along with community participation, fair and equitable benefit-sharing and adequate financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer.

During the negotiations, India strongly advocated the fulfilment of developed countries’ financial obligations under Article 20(2) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It opposed any mandatory expansion of the contributor base or attempts to shift existing financial responsibilities onto developing countries.

On Digital Sequence Information (DSI), India stressed the need for fair and equitable benefit-sharing through the multilateral mechanism, including the Cali Fund, while underlining the importance of respecting national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) frameworks and sovereign rights.

India also called for a Party-driven, facilitative, non-intrusive and non-punitive approach to the global review of KMGBF implementation, taking into account national circumstances and priorities.

The Minister said biodiversity conservation required a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with meaningful participation from communities and other stakeholders.

Land restoration and drought resilience at UNCCD COP17

Discussing India’s participation in the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Yadav said land restoration was central to ensuring food and water security, biodiversity conservation, livelihoods and the sustainability of rural economies.

Following its election as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Regional Group, India reiterated its commitment to restoring more than 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

India also called for diversified, adequate, predictable and sustained international financing to support land restoration and strengthen drought resilience.

The Minister said India advocated a shift from responding to drought emergencies towards building long-term drought resilience. It also supported science-based and community-led restoration of rangelands, recognising pastoralists as important custodians and partners in sustainable land management.

A key initiative during the conference was the launch of India’s first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India, reflecting the country’s science-based and landscape-specific approach to ecological restoration.

Yadav said India’s engagement across the three international processes reflects its commitment to equity, national circumstances, science-based solutions and adequate means of implementation, particularly for developing countries.

At COP31, India will work towards balanced and practical outcomes that strengthen climate action, implementation support and international cooperation.

Senior officials present during the briefing included MoEFCC Secretary Narendra Bhooshan, Additional Secretaries Amandeep Garg and Ashutosh Agnihotri, Joint Secretaries Rajat Agarwal and Uday Chaudhari, and Inspector General of Forests Clement Ben, among others.