India Outlines Stance for Nov FCCC Antalya Meet

Ø Predictable Climate Finance, Party-Driven Mitigation and Adaptation Outcomes, Technology Transfer and Just Transition to be India's Focus: Mr. Bhupender Yadav

· COP31 Priorities: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced India's priorities for UNFCCC COP31, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9–20 November 2026, focusing on equitable and solution-oriented climate action.

· Climate Finance: India will seek predictable, adequate and concessional climate finance, largely from public sources, without increasing the debt burden of developing countries. It will push for the commencement of the Climate Finance Work Programme.

· Mitigation and Adaptation: India will advocate Party-driven, facilitative and non-punitive approaches to climate mitigation and the Global Stocktake, respecting countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

· Adaptation Finance: India will seek increased adaptation finance and insist that Global Goal on Adaptation indicators remain voluntary and are not linked to access to climate finance.

· Just Transition: India will support continuation of the Just Transition Work Programme, emphasising climate justice, the right to development and affordable energy access.

· Technology Transfer: India will stress developed countries' obligations regarding technology transfer and call for addressing barriers arising from high costs, intellectual property rights (IPR) and trade restrictions. Participation in carbon markets should remain voluntary.

· Global Cooperation: India will work closely with G-77 and China, LMDC and BASIC groups, promoting capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and solutions suited to the circumstances of developing countries.

· Other COP31 Initiatives: India will undertake engagements including LeadIT 3.0 with Sweden and high-level side events on coastal resilience, forests and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).

· CBD COP17 – Biodiversity: At Yerevan, Armenia, India reaffirmed its commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, advocating equitable biodiversity financing, benefit-sharing, technology transfer and respect for national sovereignty and biodiversity laws.

· Digital Sequence Information (DSI): India supported fair and equitable benefit-sharing through the multilateral mechanism, including the Cali Fund, while emphasising national Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) frameworks.

· UNCCD COP17 – Land Restoration: At Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, India highlighted land restoration as essential for food and water security, biodiversity and rural livelihoods. It reiterated its commitment to restore over 26 million hectares by 2030.

· Drought Resilience: India called for predictable international financing, science-based and community-led restoration, and a shift from drought response to long-term drought resilience. It also released its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India.

· India's Overall Approach: India will pursue balanced international climate and environmental agreements based on equity, national circumstances, adequate financing, technology transfer and effective implementation, particularly for developing countries.

[ABS News Service/03.11.2026]

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, outlined India’s priorities for COP31 of the UNFCCC, to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9^th to 20^th November 2026, and highlighted the key outcomes of India’s participation in CBD COP17 and UNCCD COP17. Briefing the media in New Delhi on 3 November, 2026 the Minister said India will approach COP31 with a solution-oriented vision, bringing practical solutions for the Global South, with capacity building, knowledge sharing and geography-specific solutions at the core. India will work closely with G-77 and China, LMDC and BASIC, he informed.

The Minister reaffirmed that India stands committed to make positive contributions to global efforts to achieve objectives of climate convention and goals of Paris Agreement. He said Climate finance will be a key priority, with India seeking a COP31 decision to commence the Climate Finance Work Programme. Mr. Yadav emphasised that finance is an obligation of developed countries under Article 9.1 and must be predictable, largely public and concessional, and should not add to the debt burden. India will also press for mitigation and the Global Stocktake to remain Party-driven, facilitative and non-punitive, respecting the nationally determined nature of NDCs and ruling out new top-down targets.

Further, the Minister informed that Adaptation will remain a priority for India, with Global Goal on Adaptation indicators being voluntary and not conditioning access to finance, alongside scaled-up adaptation finance. India will support continuation of the Just Transition Work Programme through a Party-driven mechanism, viewing just transition through the lens of climate justice, the right to development and affordable energy access. On technology, India will emphasise that technology transfer is an obligation of developed countries and that barriers related to cost, IPR and trade must be addressed. Participation in carbon markets should remain voluntary. India will also underline that voluntary initiatives under the Presidency Action Agenda should remain separate from negotiations and that uniform global targets must respect national circumstances.

India will also highlight the linkage between the need for adaptation in agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers. Its engagements at COP31 will include LeadIT 3.0 with Sweden, in addition to high-level side events on coastal resilience, panels on IBCA and forests. Mr. Yadav said India will play a constructive, bridge-building role in Antalya, seeking an outcome that moves from commitments to implementation and support.

Mr. Yadav informed that during CBD COP17 in Yerevan (Armenia), India's reaffirmed its commitment to the effective and equitable implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), underscoring the importance of national priorities, circumstances and legislative frameworks, community participation, fair and equitable benefit-sharing, and adequate and predictable financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer. During the negotiations, he stated, India strongly advocated the fulfilment of developed countries' obligations under Article 20(2) of the Convention, opposed any mandatory expansion of the contributor base or shifting of existing financial responsibilities onto developing countries, and called for accessible, adequate and equitable biodiversity finance. On Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Mr. Yadav highlighted that India emphasised the need for fair and equitable benefit-sharing through the multilateral mechanism, including the Cali Fund, while underscoring the importance of respecting national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) frameworks and sovereign rights. India also advocated a party-driven, facilitative, non-intrusive and non-punitive approach to the global review of KMGBF implementation, guided by national circumstances and priorities, and emphasised the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to biodiversity conservation and implementation, he added.

Talking about UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), the Minister stated that India highlighted land restoration as central to food and water security, biodiversity, livelihoods and rural economies. He informed that India, after being elected Chair of the Asia-Pacific Regional Group, reiterated its commitment to restore over 26 million hectares by 2030 and called for diversified, adequate, predictable and sustained international finance for restoration and drought resilience. Mr. Yadav highlighted that India advocated a shift from drought response to drought resilience, supported science-based and community-led restoration of rangelands, and highlighted pastoralists as custodians and partners. India also launched its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems of India, underscoring its science-based, landscape-specific approach to restoration, the Minister stated.

Mr. Yadav said India’s engagement across the three 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 implementation, support and international cooperation. Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Secretary (MoEFCC), Mr. Narendra Bhooshan; Additional Secretaries, Dr. Amandeep Garg and Mr. Ashutosh Agnihotri; Joint Secretaries, Mr. Rajat Agarwal and Mr. Uday Chaudhari; IG (Forest), Dr. Clement Ben, besides other senior officers of the Ministry.