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Press Release

Marine litter, SDG monitoring, forestry and adaptation key areas for Indo-German collaboration on environment: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Feb 14, 2019


NEW DELHI, 13 February 2019 - Marine litter, SDG monitoring and Climate Change with a focus on Forestry and Adaptation are some of the key priority areas for strengthening Indo-German collaboration to address global and local environmental challenges.

This was stated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), while addressing the 3rd Indo-German Environment Forum, organised by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on the Indian side and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business and the Deutsche Gesellschaft f���r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on the German side.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also mentioned that while the government is making strenuous efforts on several fronts including segregation of Municipal Solid Waste Management and plastic recycling, Industry also has an important role to play especially under its extended producer responsibility. These efforts are now required to be scaled up.

The Minister highlighted the initiative of NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India, on developing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Index, which comprehensively documents the progress made by India���s States and Union Territories towards implementing the 2030 SDG targets.

Ms Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, underscored the need for national governments to take seriously the 2030 climate agenda under the Paris Agreement. She also mentioned that Germany is drawing up an extensive Climate Change Act that will help meeting emission reduction targets and phase out coal fired power plants. Praising Indian initiatives on the ambitious RE targets, she also emphasised on the point that governments and financial institutions should strive to foster green investments and remove barriers. Subsidies for technologies which are harmful to the environment must be abolished - she said and further emphasised on the need for guaranteeing a transformation towards a green economy which will be free of emission as possible.

Mr C K Mishra, Secretary, MoEF&CC, said that the time is appropriate to move ahead in partnership, innovate and share know-how and best practices as the debate on development versus environment is over. The keyword today was sustainable development for which learning, and sharing will be critical. Environment, he said, is not only the business for Government alone, but also for business and the people and it is the time now to evolve with a common goal on environmental issues to move forward to a greener and cleaner economy which will cost low damage to the society.

 

Mr Sandip Somany, President, FICCI said that FICCI has been working intensively with business and industry on various waste management practices including Solid waste, E-Waste, Construction and Demolition waste and water. He has also highlighted FICCI's effort through its Water Mission to bring forth best practices in industrial water use, urban wastewater, water use efficiency in agriculture, and corporate water stewardship. German companies could engage in FICCI's annual India Industry Water Conclave to showcase German expertise and technology in this sphere. At the policy level as well, there is a strong momentum nationally on integrating environmental concerns into policy making. He has further pointed out the importance of German technologies in this front highlighting the need of resource efficient technologies for future.

The inaugural session was also addressed by Mr Anil Kumar Jain, Additional Secretary, MoEF&CC; Mr Karsten Sach, Director-General, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany; Mr Axel Schweitzer, Deputy Chairman, Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) and CEO, ALBA Group.

A Joint Declaration was also signed between The German Environment Agency (UBA), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and GIZ during the inaugural session. The day-long forum will be deliberating on Clean and Healthy Air: From Policies to Practices; Waste Management and Circular Economy: Challenges and Solutions; Industry Solutions and Best Available Technology: Air, Waste and Water and Green Economy, Sustainable Growth.

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