India Pushes for Fair and Flexible Just Transition at COP30

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav addressed the Third Annual High-Level Ministerial Roundtable on Just Transition under the UAE Just Transition Work Programme during UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Yadav welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the roundtable discussions noting that the four dialogues held so far have been good platforms for presenting country positions.

He stated that the dialogues have clearly established that a just transition extends beyond the energy sector, calling it an economy-wide, people-centred transformation that must respect national circumstances, ensure equity, and secure social justice while allowing all countries to contribute their fair share to global mitigation efforts without compromising development priorities.

Yadav highlighted that just transition includes strengthening resilience, creating employment, protecting livelihoods, eradicating poverty, ensuring food security and providing social protection. He stressed that each country must retain the ability to define its own sustainable development pathway consistent with national priorities and circumstances.

Pointing to the diverse starting points of countries and their development needs, he said this diversity reinforces the need for nationally determined and demand-driven approaches. He stated that these pathways must avoid any uniform or prescriptive models. He added that global equity must remain central to all just transition efforts, noting that “Developing countries require sufficient policy space to bridge development gaps, address systemic vulnerabilities, and ensure the well-being of their people according to their stage of development and national conditions.”

Yadav expressed concern over emerging unilateral actions, stating that “Unilateral actions—particularly trade-restrictive climate measures—undermine the principles of equity and justice and act as serious dis-enablers of a fair and equitable just transition”. He called for enhanced international cooperation, strong multilateralism and affordable, accessible and adequate means of implementation for developing countries.

On expected outcomes from the UAE Just Transition Work Programme, Yadav said India and other developing countries support the creation of a Just Transition Mechanism. He noted that such a mechanism is necessary to address existing gaps and deliver practical solutions, stating that for the Global South, “affordable and adequate access to finance, technology, and capacity building—aligned with national circumstances—is vital to ensure that no one is left behind.”

Bhupender Yadav said that “India looks forward to an ambitious outcome at Belém, with the establishment of this Mechanism to address a critical gap in delivering the Convention and Paris Agreement. We must now operationalise Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) to advance a truly just transition.”