Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, addressed the Third Annual High-Level Ministerial Roundtable on Just Transition under the UAE Just Transition Work Programme during UNFCCC CoP30 in Belém, Brazil, on 20 November 2025. He welcomed the opportunity to contribute, noting that the four dialogues held so far have been highly engaging and effective platforms for sharing perspectives.

The Minister emphasised that a just transition extends far beyond the energy sector, describing it as an economy-wide, people-centred transformation that must respect national circumstances, uphold equity and advance social justice. Such a transition, he said, must enable all countries to contribute their fair share to global mitigation efforts without undermining their developmental priorities.

Yadav highlighted that just transition inherently includes building resilience, generating employment, protecting livelihoods, eradicating poverty, ensuring food security and providing social protection. Each country, he stressed, must retain the autonomy to determine its own sustainable development pathway in accordance with national priorities and circumstances.

Acknowledging the different starting points and development needs of nations, the Minister said this diversity underscores the need for nationally determined, demand-driven approaches rather than uniform or prescriptive models. Global equity, he affirmed, must remain central to all just transition efforts. Developing countries require sufficient policy space to bridge development gaps, address systemic vulnerabilities and safeguard the well-being of their populations.

Expressing concern over unilateral measures, Yadav warned that trade-restrictive climate actions undermine equity and justice, acting as serious barriers to a fair global transition. He called for stronger multilateralism, enhanced international cooperation and affordable, accessible and adequate means of implementation for developing nations.

On tangible outcomes for the UAE Just Transition Work Programme, Yadav reiterated India’s strong support — along with other developing countries — for creating a Just Transition Mechanism. Such a mechanism, he noted, is essential to closing existing gaps and advancing workable solutions. For the Global South, ensuring affordable access to finance, technology and capacity building, aligned with national realities, will be vital to ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Minister concluded by expressing India’s expectation of an ambitious and meaningful outcome at CoP30. He said India looks forward to the establishment of the Just Transition Mechanism, which will address a critical gap in delivering on the Convention and Paris Agreement. He urged countries to operationalise the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) to advance a truly just and equitable global transition.