BASIC countries to meet in Delhi to discuss climate change

New Delhi, Feb 25 (ANI): Environment Ministers from BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - will meet here on Saturday to assess the post Cancun climate change policy and actions at the global and national level and discuss coordination going forward.

Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh said: "Over the last 15 months, BASIC has become a powerful force within the climate change negotiations. The BASIC Ministers have been meeting regularly since Copenhagen to exchange views and evolve a coordinated approach to important negotiating issues."

"We will continue to work closely to ensure a positive outcome at Durban and beyond, while advancing the interests of our countries and partners," he added.

The two-day meeting will be held in a "BASIC Plus" format. India has invited Ministers/Ambassadors from three other countries - Argentina, Algeria and Maldives -to the meeting.

These countries represent important regional groups within the "G-77 and China" bloc in the climate change negotiations, and will participate in the meeting as Observers.

This is in keeping with the BASIC tradition of involving major regional groups within G-77 and China in order to enrich discussions and represent the interests of developing countries.

Maldives is a member of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in addition to being a neighboring country in the South Asian region. Algeria represents the developing countries in Africa, while Argentina is the current Chair of the Group of 77 and China.

BASIC countries' meeting is significant as it will be the first major international meeting of any group of countries since December 2010 when Cancun Agreements were reached under the leadership of Mexico as the Chair of 16th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol.

The BASIC group was formed in Beijing in November 2009. (ANI)