Donors reneging on commitments endangers climate deal: India

India says the future of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development have been imperilled by signs that traditional donors may renege on their commitments to help implement them.

"Walking away from commitments can harm us all," Sujata Mehta, Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, told a general assembly dialogue on "Synergies between 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustaining Peace" here on Tuesday.

"The signs of pushback on commitments by traditional donors towards assisting in the implementation of these two landmark agreements, that can actually and in very practical terms transform human societies for our collective betterment, place a question mark on any such prospects," she said.

As an example, Mehta said: "Calculating 0.7 per cent of the Gross National Income as development assistance has receded even as conceptual goal."

Although she did not mention countries and there has been a general sense of donor fatigue among many rich industrialised nations, the US stands out since the election of President Donald Trump, who has not only questioned development aid but also the very commitments in the Paris Agreement.

Addressing the global inequalities, Mehta said that in an interdependent world, the lack of inclusive development, security and general wellbeing in one part of the globe has an impact elsewhere.

"There cannot be any peace without development," she asserted.

The talk of the need for long-term sustainability over short-term fixes is not reflected in actions, she said, pointing out the annual funding for UN peacebuilding programmes is not even one per cent of the budget for peacekeeping.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/py/bg