India on Sunday voiced dissatisfaction with developed nations’ push to expand the Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (MWP) beyond agreements made at previous summits.
At the COP29 closing plenary in Baku, India responded to calls from developed countries to include mitigation provisions from the COP28 Global Stocktake into the MWP. India aligned its stance with the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), the Arab Group, and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN).
India raised concerns over the limited progress made at COP29, particularly on issues critical for developing countries. “Our regions are facing severe climate impacts, yet we lack the capacity to recover or adapt. We are not responsible for these changes,” the statement emphasized.
The Indian delegation also highlighted the tendency to overlook decisions from past summits, such as COP27, regarding the Sharm el-Sheikh MWP and the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement, which informs climate actions.
India reiterated that the MWP was established with a clear mandate to facilitate exchanges of views and ideas. The country stressed that the outcomes must be non-prescriptive, non-punitive, and respect national sovereignty, without imposing new targets or goals.
Expressing frustration, India questioned how climate action could proceed when developing countries are unable to act due to a lack of support, while the impacts of climate change worsen. The statement also pointed out that developed countries, with the greatest capacity to act, have delayed progress and consumed a disproportionate share of the global carbon budget.
India continued to call for greater climate finance from developed nations, particularly major carbon emitters. Climate finance is vital for supporting mitigation and adaptation efforts to tackle climate change’s urgent impacts.
The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), which began on November 11, will continue in Baku until November 22.
