BASIC Environment Ministers to meet in Chennai

BASIC is a platform of the four countries for coordination on issues related to climate change.

The 14th meeting of the Group in Chennai scheduled on February 15 and 16 is also expected to plan the future steps for taking the global process for an ambitious and equitable agreement under Durban Platform, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said today.

The important issues that will engage the attention of the BASIC Ministers are principles under the Durban Platform, the role and relevance of independent international initiatives, including sectoral actions, in promotion and achievement of global ambition, and the steps needed to ensure means of implementation to parties for enhancing their efforts.

Natarajan said that in line with the BASIC-Plus approach, representatives of other important members of G-77 have also been invited.

Senior Environment Ministry officials of Bhutan, Mali, Argentina, Fiji, Nauru and Qatar have been invited for the Chennai meeting, she said.

India is a member of like minded developing countries which are meeting in Geneva on 27-28 February, 2013 to review the decisions at Doha and plan the future steps.

The deliberations in the BASIC meeting will help India and other BASIC countries in formulating their approach to the future issues in the negotiations and plan and build ambitious and equitable architecture for post-2020 arrangements.