India positive about outcome of UN biodiversity convention

HYDERABAD: Expressing happiness over the way negotiations are proceeding in the ongoing UN convention on biological diversity, India on Monday expressed confidence that agreement would be reached on all the significant issues among the member countries.

"For the first week of COP, we made significant progress. Four documents have been adopted in the COP, which happens very rarely. It is indicative of the good mood, which is prevailing among the delegates. I think that is a very positive signal," M F Farooqui, Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, told reporters here.

India assumed presidency of the CBD at the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP).

The documents that have been adopted, are related to GlobalStrategy on Plant Conservation, Global Taxonomy Initiative, Biofuels and Biodiversity and Incentive measures, he said.

Noting that good progress has already been made, he said two working groups, various contact groups and the friends of chair, which have been constituted, are working parallel.

"We are very confident that the remaining issues will also get resolved well in time. Our effort is to resolve all the issues by Thursday evening at the negotiators' level so that we have the documents ready for adoption on Friday and tomorrow there is going to be the high-level segment. It will be formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister," he said.

The high-level segment would deliberate on Strategic Plan and Resource Mobilisation, Biodiversity and Livelihood, Marine and Coastal Biodiversity and the early ratification of Nagoya Protocol, Farooqui said.

"We are confident that the high-level discussion will provide big political impetus and provide the necessary signal wherever required for other negotiators to move forward in a constructive spirit, which they are already demonstrating. We are extremely hopeful of a good outcome of the COP," he said.