Inaugural Address by EAM at DSDS 2009 

Inaugural Address by Mr Pranab Mukherjee,
Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs

Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2009

5th February 2009 at 1000 hrs

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess, Kingdom of Thailand;

HE Ms Tarja Halonen, President of Finland;

HE Mr Anote Tong, President of the Republic of Kiribati;

HE Mr Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;

HE Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations;

HE Mr Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Former President of Maldives;

HE Mr Moritz Leuenberger, Former President of Switzerland;

HE Mr Mamadou Lamine Loum, Former Prime Minister of Senegal and Dr. RK Pachauri, Director General, TERI.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be invited here to inaugurate the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2009. I am very happy to see this gathering of Nobel laureates, policy makers, thought leaders, scientists and outstanding professionals from across the globe who have come here to focus on the challenge of sustainable development.  

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

The concept of sustainable development is engrained in the ethos of India. Our traditions and practices have imbibed the philosophy of sustainable development and we have been able to conserve and protect our natural resources. It is, therefore, fitting that this Summit on Sustainable Development is being held in New Delhi and I would like to congratulate TERI and specially Dr. Pachauri for having made this Summit into one of the premier annual events in the world. 

Sustainable Development, though widely used, is a fairly new concept having been first mooted in the 1980s and then embedded into our collective consciousness since the Rio Summit of 1992. While its origins are in the concept of environment protection, Sustainable Development encompasses within itself a much wider gamut of issues and, in particular, the "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of economic development, social development, and environmental protection. There can, therefore, be no environmental protection without concomitant economic development.  

India is a developing country and our overriding priorities would be always poverty reduction and rapid economic development. This is critical if we are to be able to provide to our people the means and ways to achieve their aspirations and the way to a better life. Environmental protection cannot be isolated from the general issues of development and must be viewed as an integral part of development efforts. For us, the concept of "sustainable development" must include the needs of our people for health,nutrition, education and housing with a view towards the eradication of poverty so as to provide to all a life of dignity in a clean, safe and healthy environment. Stress needs to be placed equally on the "development" dimension of the concept of "sustainable development" as on its "sustainable" aspect. 

We, in the Government of India, have based our policies on sustainable development on the principle that human beings are at the centre of sustainable development. Our emphasis has been on the fact that the right to development must equitably meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations. The dominant theme in our policies has been that while we must conserve environmental resources to secure livelihoods, the most effective way of doing this is to ensure that people benefit more from conservation than from resource degradation.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

We, in India, are extremely concerned about climate change especially as, being a developing country, we are most likely to be adversely impacted. All indications point to the fact that we, as developing countries would have to bear a disproportionately severe impact of its adverse effects even though responsibility lies with those countries which have been polluting since industrialization began. It is a sad reality that some of the worst impacts of climate change will take place in developing countries which have had no share in having caused the problem. Today, there is universal acceptance that climate change is unequivocal. In fact, the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), of which Dr. Pachauri is the Chairman, has clearly established the fact that climate change is taking place.  

India recognizes the need for global action to address climate change. The negotiations under the Bali Action Plan and their outcome must respect, both in letter and spirit, the provisions and principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC), especially the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. We expect the developed countries to take the lead in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and commit themselves to absolute binding emissions reduction. The need of the hour is adapting to the inevitability of climate change and for that we need to have the necessary financial and technological wherewithal. As we have always maintained, development would give us the necessary capability for adaptation.

India is committed to taking action to address climate change even though our per capita emissions of greenhouse gases are extremely low in relation to all the developed countries, and even lower than those of several developing countries. India, with 17% of the world population has only 4% of global GHG emissions. In per-capita terms India is at 1 ton/annum, a quarter of the global average of 4 tons/annum.

Yet we will do what we can to pursue a path of development that is sensitive to the need for tackling this global challenge. With this in view we have developed our National Action Plan on Climate Change with eight national Missions, including on solar power, energy efficiency and promoting forest cover. This would help India pursue a path of sustainable development and ensure low carbon intensity of the Indian economy.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, 

The key issue in negotiations on climate change is burden sharing which has to be equitable. I note that this Summit would be looking at the equitable and ethical aspects of climate change. India believes that every citizen of our planet has an equal right to the global resource of the atmosphere.

The Prime Minister of India had stated clearly that India is determined that its per capita emissions would not exceed those of the developed countries, even as it pursues policies of development and economic growth. What could be a greater commitment than this? The responsibility, therefore, lies with the developed world to set the direction and take the lead in bringing about reductions in emissions per capita.

The world is currently facing a financial crisis of immense magnitude that will reverse years of hard-earned economic growth. This crisis would affect developing countries even though, like climate change, we were not responsible for it. There are no ‘bail-outs’ for a climate crisis. The financial crisis should not become an excuse for developed countries to renege on their commitments. Climate Change should also not be an excuse to add a greater burden or impose conditionalities onto the development challenges that developing countries face.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, 

It is time for us to act together. Climate change is indeed a threat but it also presents a unique opportunity, an opportunity to work together as we have demonstrated through our response to the global financial crisis. The large amounts of public funds that are being deployed to address the financial crisis is a testimony to the fact that we can, given the requisite political will, generate similiar funds to tackle climate change. A large part of these funds could be mobilized to support a major collaborative effort between developed and developing countries to deal with climate change. This could include a global fund to promote renewable energy, both in terms of application of existing technologies as well as R&D into new and innovative technologies.

It is also important that adequate finance is available for the world to take action. This has to be made available to developing countries to facilitate their move towards a low carbon pathway. We should ensure that these funds are new and additional without diverting already scarce development assistance. As I have mentioned before, economic development is critical for us so that we have the necessary resources to cope and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

Before I end, let me emphasise again the issue of sustainable development. We are all inhabitants of planet earth and in the ultimate analysis anything negative that occurs in any part of the globe will not leave any other part of the world immune. We have to, therefore, utilize the resources that mother Earth gives us in a sustainable manner. All countries, particularly developed countries, have to eschew lifestyles which are unsustainable and are a burden on our planet.  

Mahatma Gandhi made a profound observation, which I feel should serve as our guiding principle in global efforts to preserve our planet. He said, and I quote, “The earth, the air, the land and the water, are not an inheritance from our forefathers, but a loan from our children. So we have to hand over to them at least as it was handed over to us”.

I am sure that this Summit would discuss many issues of substance and come up with various scenarios solutions. On my part, I would consider the biggest gain from a gathering such as this is possibly the creation of a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding among nations. I wish all the best in your deliberations and discussions.

Thank you.

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