No conditions without support for sustainable development: UNIDO

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) Conditions cannot be dictated for sustainable development of developing countries, including India, without providing them with the necessary funds and technology, UNIDO chief Kandeh K Yumkella has said. At the same time, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Director General has also expressed optimism that India would be in the vanguard of leading the sustainable development. "Developing countries like India can leapfrog (especially in going for green technologies). At the same time, I think we should always respect the fact that they have immediate energy access needs," Yumkella told PTI in an interview here. "We cannot say that India be super clean if we cannot help India access the finance and technology they need to clean up the energy systems. This requires massive investments, which India alone does not have," he said. Calling for more knowledge transfer to developing nations like India to pursue sustainable development, he noted this would help to realistically develop a long term energy plan to de-carbonise their energy systems. "Give them (developing nations) more information, give them more access to technology, give them more opportunity to access finance. Then, we can say to them, hey, still you are not cleaning up. But to dictate conditionalities on greenness is I think not fair to developing countries," he emphasised. According to him, the general principle is about partnership and real dialogue to address their development needs. "... de-carbonise their energy systems while meeting their needs for growth, jobs and income generation," he added. UNIDO's latest Industrial Development Report has said that technological change was responsible for 37-48 per cent of reductions in energy intensity in China, India and Russia. Energy intensity generally refers to ratio of the amount of energy used to produce a unit of output. Meanwhile, after a meeting with India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma today, the UNIDO chief said India can play a major role in generating employment opportunities in developing countries in Africa, besides promoting sustainable development in the region. "India can do a lot. India can help define what we mean by sustainable development ... You have major players like Tatas and Suzlon Energy. We believe you can be technology developer and innovator...," Yumkella said. During the meeting, both the leaders stressed the need to strengthen South-South cooperation and discussed ways in which India can help the least developed nations, especially in Africa. Talking about the global economic slowdown, Yumkella said that undoubtedly the current global situation has affected India's exports to the world markets like the US and Europe. But this scenario also creates an opportunity for India to explore African markets. Indian exporters are exploring new markets like Latin America and Africa to reduce its dependence on western markets like the US and Europe. UNIDO can also contribute to India's ambitious plan to increase the share of its manufacturing sector in the country's Gross Domestic Product to 25 per cent from 16 per cent at present, he added. PTI Caption for pic: India's Commerce & Industry Minister Anand Sharma (left) shaking hands with UNIDO Director General Kandeh Yumkella during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo