The International Cooperation Division in the Ministry of
Environment and Forests has been renamed as International Cooperation and Sustainable
Development Division (IC&SD). In addition to the work relating to international
cooperation in the field of environment, the Division has now been entrusted
with the additional responsibility of coordinating the sustainable development
activities.
This division is the nodal division for United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), Nairobi, South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP),
Colombo. The Division also handles bilateral issues and matters pertaining to
multilateral bodies such as the Commission on Sustainable Development, Environment
Support Programme of UNDP under Country Cooperation Framework -1, Global Environment
Facility (GEF) and the regional bodies like Economic & Social Commission for
Asia & Pacific (ESCAP), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
European Union (EU) and the India Canada Environment Facility.
In the area of sustainable development following new initiatives
have been taken up by the Division :
The Ministry is the nodal agency in the Government for various
environment related multilateral conventions and protocols. These include the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Convention on Wetlands
of International importance, especially as waterfowl habitat, Convention on
the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animal, Vienna Convention for
the protection of the Ozone Layer, Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete
the Ozone Layer, Conventions on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement
of Hazardous Substances, Convention to Combat Desertification, Stockholm Convention
on Persistent Organic Pollutants etc.
India has been pursuing its commitments under various conventions
vigorously by initiating various measures nationally and by taking several important
initiatives in the region.
Environment related multilateral conventions and protocols
etc., are being handled by the respective technical and scientific divisions
in the Ministry. IC&SD Division plays a coordinating role in the matters relating
to these Conventions. A compendium on various environment related conventions
is proposed to be brought out by the Division.
The IC & SD Division has prepared reports for World Summit
on Sustainable Development which can be accessed at:
INDIA DEVELOPMENT MARKETPLACE(IDM) 2007 - World Bank
The Status Report of India-Canada Environment Facility
(ICEF) which gives details of the activities of the ICEF Project Office
as well as of individual sub-projects funded by the Facility, both completed
and under implementation. It can be accessed at:
Mr. Pankaj Garg
Deputy Secretary (IC&SD)
International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (IC&SD) Division
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan
CGO Complex, Lodi Road
New Delhi - 110 003.