India's climate priorities gain voice at UN Human Rights Council

Geneva: The need to ensure that climate finance reaches vulnerable communities and supports adaptation in developing countries came into focus at the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The session, being held from September 7 to October 7, is also examining pathways to mobilise adequate climate finance.

Addressing the Council virtually, Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan (RSKS India) representative Saroj Sankhla highlighted the growing impact of floods, droughts and extreme heat on communities and called for climate finance to be linked more closely with human-rights outcomes.


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The organisation called for greater emphasis on adaptation and loss-and-damage finance, particularly through grants, and proposed mechanisms to improve transparency and ensure that funds reach communities affected by climate-related disasters.

RSKS India also proposed a Global Climate Finance Passport, an open digital mechanism to track climate funds from donors to communities, including information on delays, costs, beneficiaries and outcomes.

The proposals are particularly relevant for developing countries such as India, where strengthening climate resilience remains an important development priority.

The UN system in India is supporting the government and other stakeholders on climate adaptation, mitigation, disaster-risk reduction and ecosystem restoration.

India is also participating in international discussions on practical approaches to climate finance. The ongoing UNFCCC Veredas Dialogue is examining ways to strengthen finance flows for low-emission and climate-resilient development while recognising countries' different national circumstances and development priorities.

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Sankhla urged the international community to assess climate finance not merely by the volume of commitments but by their impact on people and communities.

"Do not measure climate finance only by billions announced. Measure it by wells restored, homes protected, crops saved and lives made safer," she said.

The discussion comes as the international community continues to debate how climate finance can better support adaptation and resilience, particularly in countries facing growing climate-related risks.