NEW DELHI: Member-states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on Tuesday agreed to make a separate statement as an entity at the Copenhagen meet on climate change in December.
Marking a shift from its earlier position of staying within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes, India now appears ready to collaborate with various countries on climate change. On top of the list are the US, China and Japan.
The Delhi Statement on Cooperation in Environment by ministers of environment belonging to member states of SAARC at the meeting in New Delhi on 20th October 2009. The ministers have agreed on specific joint actions to further strengthen environmental governance, biodiversity conservation, and climate change cooperation.
Cabinet granted approval to a Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Agriculture Development & Agrarian Services Maithreepala Sirisena to set up a Seed Testing Laboratory under the SAARC project. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Sri Lanka will be done to this effect.
An integrated water policy for the Saarc region is imperative for equitable use of river water for agricultural development, said Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday.
India will showcase its success story in re-introducing tigers in Rajasthan's Sariska reserve to the SAARC nations when their foreign ministers meet here next month.
A high- level regional meeting of SAARC countries to share experiences on rainwater harvesting and encouraging use of rainwater among countries concluded with a nine-point recommendation on Tuesday.
The three-day meeting on rainwater was organised by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW).
The theme of the conference is inclusive development and climate justice in South Asia. The two sub-themes, inclusive development and climate justice, are intimately related. Adverse climate change impacts fall disproportionably harshly on the socially excluded, disadvantaged people.
