Top > Speeches and Statements by Prime Minister

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am truly honoured to receive the Sustainable Development Leadership Award, on this commemorative occasion of the 10th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. Last September, I took the initiative to announce Japan's aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020, if compared to the 1990 level, consistent with what the science calls for in order to halt global warming. At COP 15 in Copenhagen, Japan also announced that it will provide assistance to developing countries in an amount totaling approximately 15 billion U.S. dollars by 2012, including 11 billion dollars in public financing. This statement of intent was made upon the premise of the establishment of a fair and effective international framework among all major economies and an agreement on their own ambitious targets. We must admit that we did not reach a perfect solution on every single issue at COP 15. Having said so, I also recognize that the "Copenhagen Accord" was formulated through summit-level discussions, and that the decision to take note of the Accord was adopted with indications of support from almost all countries throughout the world. To this extent, the meeting was meaningful. In the course of the discussions, I myself strongly emphasized the necessity of formulating a political agreement. �@I believe that Japan's ambitious mid-term target and its concrete proposal on assistance to developing countries gave momentum to the negotiations at COP 15. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, This wonderful award is not just for me. I can say with certainty that this award is nothing less than a message of encouragement to all national leaders who are seriously tackling the issue of climate change. What is necessary now is to ensure association with the "Copenhagen Accord" by as many countries as possible. I know that a substantial number of countries have already expressed their willingness to support the Accord. Japan will continue to play an active role in order to convince more countries to associate themselves with the Accord. I also promise that Japan will spare no effort to achieve the early adoption of a comprehensive legal document to establish a fair and effective international framework among all major economies. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I take this opportunity to reiterate my heartfelt appreciation to the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and express my sincere hope that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), under the leadership of Dr. Pachauri, will continue its positive contribution to the worldwide efforts to address climate change. In closing, I wish to reaffirm the indispensable role to be played by India in these endeavours, as one of the major economies. Thank you very much.