Secretary-General of Commonwealth Patricia Scotland KC has said the association needs India's strength, vision and support to deliver on issues like climate justice and reforms.
Hailing India’s G-20 leadership, Scotland believes that the agenda which has been identified by India for the G20 is very much the Commonwealth’s agenda, reports ANI.
“I think this is an incredibly important moment for us in the Commonwealth having India’s leadership. You know that the Commonwealth has been pushing hard for example, for a reform of the International financial institutions and India now leads the Finance Ministers Action Group on this issue. We believe that we should have a universal vulnerability index which takes into account not just GDP, but the vulnerability of our countries”, said Patricia Scotland while speaking to ANI.
“The agenda which has been identified by India for the G20 is very much the Commonwealth’s agenda. So, we really are hoping that the leadership that India has shown will enable us to deliver on a number of issues. For example, we know that we need climate finance if we are to have climate justice.
"The G20 countries are probably responsible for 80 per cent of the emissions. The Global South, particularly the small and the developing states, the island states have contributed less than five per cent of these emissions,” she added.
Dwelling more on India taking the mantle of Chairing the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Action Group, the Secretary-General said that it really does need India’s strength, vision and support, if it is to deliver and improve the opportunities for the disadvantaged and those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis.
“We are hoping that India will continue as she has done to strive for climate justice, and she will be receiving more than support. I must thank India for taking up the mantle of chairing this Commonwealth finance ministers Action Group, which is supported by Nigeria as the deputy of the vice chair on behalf of the Commonwealth finance ministers. So we really do need India’s strength, vision and support, if we are to deliver this,” said Secretary Scotland.
She told ANI, “Just think how we could improve the opportunities that those who are most disadvantaged and who have contributed least to the climate crisis that we now face. Just think about what we could help them to do. If they got the money for adaptation and mitigation. So, I have to tell you, there is a lot of hope. There’s a lot of aspiration and trust that’s being invested in India, as now the fifth largest economy in the world, to help those who are vulnerable and small, to believe that change is possible and justice is deliverable. And India is a real partner of choice for so many in our Commonwealth who need India’s help and her support”.
Scotland is serving as the sixth secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations.
She was elected at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and took office on 1 April 2016. She is the first woman to hold the post.