Calls on developed nations to meet legal finance and technology obligations under Paris Agreement

India reaffirmed its commitment to equity and multilateralism in global climate action at the opening of the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, stressing that the “architecture of the Paris Agreement must not be altered.”

Delivering statements on behalf of the Basic (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) and the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) groups, India underscored that developed countries carry a binding responsibility under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement to provide financial resources to developing nations. It said that climate finance remains the biggest barrier to enhanced ambition and called for a clear, universally accepted definition of what constitutes climate finance, along with strengthened and scaled-up public funding for adaptation.

The Indian delegation argued that adaptation finance must increase fifteen-fold to meet the needs of billions of vulnerable people who have contributed the least to global warming. It also urged developed countries to fulfil their long-standing legal obligations on finance, technology transfer and capacity building.

India Reaffirms Climate Equity
Reiterating that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) remains central to the Paris framework, India cautioned against unilateral climate-related trade measures. Such actions, it warned, risk turning into protectionist tools that contravene Article 3.5 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which prohibits trade restrictions disguised as climate action.

Bolivia, on behalf of the LMDC group, has proposed that unilateral trade measures, including the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, be placed on this year’s agenda. The issue, repeatedly raised at climate summits since 2023, remains under consultation by the COP30 Presidency outside the formal negotiating process.

India’s intervention further called for equitable access to climate technologies and the removal of intellectual property and market barriers that impede technology transfer. It reminded developed nations of their historical and ongoing responsibilities to reach net-zero earlier, invest in negative emissions technologies, and meet their finance and technology commitments.

Brazil’s COP30 Presidency is also holding consultations on several politically sensitive and unresolved issues, including the implementation of Article 9.1, the ambition gap on the 1.5°C target, and the transparency of national climate data.