India to Emphasise Climate Finance and Technology Transfer at COP31 in Turkey

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, has announced India's key priorities for the UNFCCC COP31, scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20, 2026. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, he stated that India will focus on capacity building, knowledge exchange, and geography-specific solutions with a solution-oriented approach at the summit. India will work in collaboration with the G-77 and China, LMDC, and BASIC groups to voice the concerns of the Global South.

According to reports by PIB and News18, climate finance will be the highest priority for India. India will seek a decision at COP31 to launch the 'Climate Finance Work Programme', which was proposed during COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Shri Yadav clarified that under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, it is the responsibility of developed countries to provide financial assistance to developing nations. This finance should be predictable, predominantly public, and at concessional rates, so as not to increase the debt burden on developing countries.

As per a report by The Hindu, developing countries have demanded at least $1-1.3 trillion in annual climate finance. India argues that the annual target of $300 billion until 2035 is extremely inadequate. While developed countries accept the $300 billion target, they emphasise the contribution of public and private finance as well as multilateral development banks to reach the $1.3 trillion figure.

India will insist that the review process for climate change mitigation targets and the Global Stocktake (GST) remain party-led, facilitative, and non-punitive. India will respect the nationally determined nature of NDCs and oppose attempts to impose new top-down targets on developing countries. India does not lean towards language such as 'fossil fuel cuts' or their phased reduction, as it is already on the path to increasing renewable energy, expanding forest cover, and improving energy efficiency.

Adaptation will also be a priority for India. Indicators being developed under the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) should be voluntary and should not become a condition for receiving finance. Shri Yadav stated that the number of parameters has been successfully reduced from nearly a thousand to 59. Additionally, India wishes to continue the 'Just Transition Work Programme' (JWT), which aims to re-skill workers dependent on the fossil fuel economy towards green jobs.

Regarding technology transfer, India will assert that this is the responsibility of developed countries. It is necessary to remove barriers related to cost, IPR, and trade. Participation in carbon markets should remain voluntary. Voluntary initiatives under the Presidency Action Agenda should remain separate from negotiations, and global targets should be consistent with national circumstances.

India will also highlight the relationship between the impact on agriculture, food security, and the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers and the need for adaptation. COP31 will include LeadIT 3.0 with Sweden, high-level programmes on coastal resilience, IBCA, and a forest panel.

The summit comes at a time when demands for 'Loss and Damage' funding have increased following the devastating floods in Nepal on August 26. Floods caused by ice and rock slides in the Himalayas resulted in at least 1,400 deaths in Nepal and caused heavy damage to infrastructure. Nepal requires $4.7 billion for recovery and reconstruction, against which only $21.6 million has been allocated by the fund, which is less than 1% of the total requirement.

Shri Yadav also provided information about two other important outcomes. During CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, India confirmed the fair implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMBGF). India opposed additional financial burdens on developing countries and demanded fair benefit-sharing in the context of Digital Sequence Information (DSI). At UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, India expressed its commitment to restore more than 26 million hectares of land by 2030 and demanded international finance to fight drought. India has also launched its first guidelines for grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.

Shri Yadav added that countries that have contributed most to historical emissions should take greater responsibility in climate change action. The principle of 'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities' (CBDR) should be at the centre of this action. Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Shri Narendra Bhushan, and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

The Paris Agreement was a global understanding reached by approximately 200 countries, aiming to limit the increase in Earth's temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Ten years after this agreement, the world is now assessing whether countries have fulfilled their promises.