India joins High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People

India  officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30x30. High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south, European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members. India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China. The virtual meeting to take place 11th to 15th of this month will tackle key aspects of the biodiversity treaty to be finalized in 2022. The global 30x30 goal is currently a centrepiece of the treaty.

 Secretary in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Rameshwar Prasad Gupta handed over the signed High Ambition Coalition agreement to Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain in a ceremony held in New Delhi on Thursday. Welcoming India’s decision to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which was initiated at the One Planet Summit in Paris in January this year, Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain said that on the eve of the opening of COP15, India joining the High Ambition Coalition is a real game changer and will boost the multilateral efforts. Stating that India is a major player for biodiversity protection, the French ambassador informed that this coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 per cent the of world's land and ocean by 2030.