India has called for diversified, adequate, predictable and sustained international financing to accelerate land restoration and strengthen resilience to drought, with Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav stressing that tackling land degradation requires investment beyond public budgets.
Addressing the Ministerial Dialogue on “Innovative Financial Mechanisms for Healthy Land and Drought Resilience” during the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Mr. Yadav outlined India’s approach to financing land restoration and drought resilience.
The Minister said land restoration should be viewed not as a cost but as an investment in food and water security, biodiversity, livelihoods and long-term resilience. He emphasised that addressing desertification, land degradation and drought on a large scale requires diversified and predictable sources of finance, coupled with stronger public-private partnerships.
Highlighting India’s financing architecture, Mr Yadav said the country has developed a blended green-finance framework to support climate adaptation, sustainable land use, forestry and agriculture, afforestation and biodiversity conservation.
He also highlighted Sovereign Green Bonds as an avenue for mobilising capital for land restoration, drought resilience, sustainable forestry and other environmental and climate priorities.
The Minister drew attention to India’s Green Credit Programme, under which public and private entities can finance the restoration of degraded forest land. Green credits are issued after five years of restoration and upon achieving a minimum 40 per cent canopy density. These credits can subsequently be used once for compensatory afforestation, statutory plantation or corporate social responsibility obligations.
Mr Yadav also highlighted India’s compensatory conservation framework, under which payments received for forest diversion are channelled towards compensatory afforestation and ecosystem restoration, while corporate funding is integrated through environmental regulatory processes.
Emphasising the importance of convergence, the Minister said bringing public and private finance together through mechanisms such as the Green Credit Programme and compensatory afforestation funds, while involving local communities and citizens, reflects a “Whole-of-Government” and “Whole-of-Society” approach.
He stressed that financing for land restoration must be continuous, verifiable and linked to local communities. While India’s experience demonstrates what sustained domestic resources can achieve, he said domestic efforts cannot replace the need for additional, adequate and predictable international finance.
Concluding his address, Mr Yadav reaffirmed India’s willingness to share its experience, safeguards and institutional mechanisms with other countries, as well as lessons learned and areas where course correction may be required.
India’s intervention at COP17 comes amid growing international efforts to mobilise resources for combating desertification, land degradation and drought, with financing emerging as a key component of long-term global resilience.
