India and 50 Years of UNEP
India and 50 years of UN Environment Programme
The 50th Session of United Nations environment programme was conducted in Nairobi on 4th March, 2022. Addressing the gathering, India's Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change stated that India has been engaging with UNEP since 1972, dealing with critical environmental challenges. UNEP is one of the leading global voices on environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations, he added.
Shri Bhupendra Yadav emphasized that UNEP’s 50th anniversary must serve to strengthen international cooperation and encourage collective action to address the major environmental challenges of our time, including climate change, conserving and enhancing biodiversity, and tackling pollution and waste, while moving to the path of sustainability. We must tackle today’s environmental crises using the latest science and cutting-edge digital tools and technologies. For this, fostering global knowledge and technology exchange without barriers is critical.
The Minister said that on the occasion of its 50th anniversary it is appropriate that UNEP turn to paying greater attention to the question of the means of implementation. Provision of finance, technology transfer and capacity building would ensure that implementation of these agreements is not a mere burden for developing countries but a pathway to a greener and healthier planet. Sustainable lifestyles underpin the survival of our planet. We believe that our utilization of resources must be based on ‘Mindful and Deliberate Utilization’ and NOT ‘Mindless and Destructive Consumption’.
The Minister stressed that India looks forward to stronger collaboration with UNEP on environmental issues including Conventions and multilateral agreements relating to the environment. UNEP should also build a robust portfolio of projects, particularly for delivering on the environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, and other multilaterally agreed global environmental goals.Concluding his remarks the Minister said that India walks the talk and speaks from a position of strength and responsibility on biodiversity and climate change. It is from this experience that India sends a message of hope and optimism that humanity and all nations together can strive together and meet these challenges, he added.
