"Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time," TS Tirumurti said (File)
India on Thursday highlighted terrorism and climate change at UNSC open debate on "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Security in the context of Terrorism and Climate Change".
India's Permanent Representative to United Nations TS Tirumurti said that terrorism is a serious global concern. The fight against terrorism remains significant even after 20 years since landmark resolution 1373 was adopted in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
"The threat of terrorism has adversely impacted African countries in their pursuit of economic progress and development. The security situation in the G5-Sahel countries has been deteriorating in the last three years," said Mr Tirumurti.
"India appreciates the initiative of G-5 Sahel Force. a joint effort of countries in the Sahel including Niger. However, the Joint Force continues to be plagued by multiple challenges," added the Indian envoy.
He further led stress on providing adequate and sustainable resources to regional security initiatives such as the G5 Sahel Joint Force.
Talking about climate change, Mr Tirumurti said that complex issues like climate crisis need to be addressed through established mechanisms painstakingly created for this purpose.
"Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. Member states have engaged purposefully in a focussed manner to put in place commitments so that climate change can be addressed holistically as done by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)-led process with annual Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings," said Mr Tirumurti.
He advised against drawing a separate link between security and climate change when all aspects of climate change are already being dealt with, holistically, under the mandate of the UNFCCC.
"To move the climate change discourse from a consensus driven template to a possibly divisive process is not advisable," he said.
Mr Tirumurti further said that viewing conflicts only through the prism of climate change presents a myopic perspective and there is no clear scientific pronouncement directly equating climate change with security concerns.
"Over-simplification of causes of conflict will not help in resolving them nor can it justify terrorists acts or extreme policy measures," he said.
Talking about the recent climate summit held in Glasgow, he said, "The Glasgow Climate Pact adopted by consensus recently contains the collective will of the international community on all aspects related to climate change in a holistic manner".
"India is a leader in Climate Action and is on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. India's climate responsive development is evident in the announcements at COP26, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the "Panchamrit"," he added.
Mr Tirumurti also gave examples of how India has taken lead in bringing together international coalitions to generate long-term impact through partnerships, including through the International Solar Alliance, Green Grids Initiative, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Infrastructure for Resilient Island States under CDRI.
He urged for the need to enhance action on all important policies that address climate change, including fulfilment of commitments on climate finance and technology transfer.
He also stated that developed countries cannot pass on their own obligations to developing countries and must meet their commitments equitably on both mitigation and adaptation.
"Both terrorism and climate change are complex issues that the global community is grappling today. After decades of painstaking international efforts, today we have institutional mechanisms to address each of these issues. We should continue to work through those established mechanisms," said the Indian envoy.