Officials from 14 ministries will be on the panel to oversee the implementation of India’s Nationally Determined Contributions

In a move that reaffirms India’s seriousness to work on climate change, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) constituted a high-level inter-ministerial Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris Agreement (AIPA) on Wednesday.

The purpose of AIPA is to generate a coordinated response on climate change matters that ensures India is on track towards meeting its obligations under the Paris Agreement including its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

Notably, AIPA would also operate as a National Authority to regulate carbon markets in India under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, formulate guidelines for the consideration of projects or activities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, issue guidelines on carbon pricing, market mechanism, and other similar instruments that have a bearing on climate change and NDCs.

“It will take note of the contributions of the private sector as well as multi-/bi-lateral agencies in the field of climate change and provide guidance for aligning their climate actions with national priorities,” the official statement said.

According to the release, senior officials from 14 ministries will serve as Members of AIPA who will oversee the progress in implementation of India’s NDC and receive periodic information updates to monitor, review and revisit climate goals to fulfill the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

The year 2021 would mark the beginning of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the constitution of AIPA is central to strengthening the national systems and institutional arrangements for implementation and monitoring of climate actions, as per the ministry.