India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies to join the HAC

India joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30x30, on Thursday.

The coalition, which was initiated at the “One Planet Summit” in Paris in January 2021, aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % the of world's land and ocean by 2030.

HAC members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south; European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members.

India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to join the HAC.

India’s announcement comes in the lead up to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China, said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The virtual meeting to take place October 11-15 will tackle key aspects of the biodiversity treaty to be finalized in 2022. The global 30x30 goal is currently a centrepiece of the treaty.

Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India Rameshwar Prasad Gupta handed over the signed HAC agreement to Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain in a ceremony held on Thursday.

According to Lenain, India joining the High Ambition Coalition on the eve of COP15 was a real game changer and would boost multilateral efforts.

Resource mobilization would always be the cornerstone for implementation of policies and programmes for conserving biodiversity, said Gupta.

India would ensure all support in meeting the global biodiversity targets, he added.