Global Initiative to reduce Land Degradation and Coral Reef program launched at G20 Environment Ministers Meet.

Context: The Environment Ministerial Meeting (EMM) of the G20 countries took place through video conferencing under the Presidency of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. India has taken significant steps to protect environment and forest and wildlife as well as combating pollution and climate change.

India’s efforts:

• India is committed to work with G20 nations for a better world. He said, India is blessed with vast bio-diversity and ecosystem.
• India has been taking measures to enhance coral reef conservation.
• India’s steps towards dealing with climate change have been remarkable and stated that the world has to channel its best practices to deal with climate change and to get concrete results.
• Efforts made by National Coastal Mission Programme under which government has taken many steps to protect and sustain coral reefs in the country.
• Efforts made by India towards achieving land degradation neutrality, and towards attainment of global goals of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Equity, Common but differentiated responsibilities, finance and technology partnerships are key pillars and India is walking the talk on Paris Agreement and its Climate commitments.

Global Initiative to reduce Land Degradation and Coral Reef program

• It aims to strengthen the implementation of existing frameworks to prevent, halt, and reverse land degradation within G20 member states and globally, taking into account possible implications on the achievement of other SDGs and adhering to the principle of doing no harm.
• The Global Coral Reef R&D Accelerator Platform is an innovative action-oriented initiative aimed at creating a global research and development (R&D) program to advance research, innovation and capacity building in all facets of coral reef conservation, restoration, and adaptation, and strengthen ongoing efforts and commitments made to enhance coral reefs conservation and their further degradation.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1655306