India abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution on climate change obligations, arguing that the draft undermines the established UN climate framework and risks imposing obligations on developing countries outside multilateral negotiations.
The resolution, titled ‘Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change’, was adopted on Wednesday with 141 votes in favour, eight against and 28 abstentions, including India.
The motion welcomed the July 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on states’ climate obligations and urged countries to comply with international law to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions.
Explaining India’s position, Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said New Delhi had constructively engaged in negotiations but its concerns were not addressed.
“We are therefore disappointed that our concerns were not addressed, despite our best efforts to find common ground,” she said.
India maintained that its climate obligations arise only through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process and the Paris Agreement.
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“Our obligations arise only from outcomes adopted under the UNFCCC process,” Gahlot said, adding that India could therefore not support the resolution.
India objected to what it described as an attempt to elevate the ICJ advisory opinion to a “binding or quasi-binding status”, warning that it could undermine the “sacrosanct architecture” of the UNFCCC framework.
New Delhi also expressed concern that the resolution prescribes mitigation pathways and creates conditions for judicial scrutiny of nationally determined climate commitments, thereby constraining national policy space.
India further criticised the absence of adequate reference to climate finance in the resolution, saying developed countries must continue to take the lead in emissions cuts and provide financing, technology transfer and capacity-building support to developing nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.
The resolution, moved by Vanuatu, called on countries to implement measures aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
India also reiterated that sustainable development and poverty eradication remain overriding priorities for developing countries and stressed that energy transitions must be “just, orderly and equitable”.
Despite its objections, India said it chose not to vote against the resolution in recognition of the climate vulnerabilities faced by Small Island Developing States.
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