India on Friday said unilateral trade measures in the name of climate action are "discriminatory, harm multilateral cooperation" and go against the principles of the UN climate change convention.
Making an intervention in the presidential consultations on 'unilateral measures' at COP29 in Baku, India said this is a matter of global concern that needs urgent consideration to ensure the development pathways of developing countries are not constricted.
Other groups of developing countries, including the G77, the largest bloc representing over 130 nations at the UN climate talks, and Like-Minded Developing Countries also registered their strong opposition on the issue.
However, developed countries, particularly the European Union, argued that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is not the right platform to discuss this issue, as it is already being addressed by the World Trade Organization.
India said restrictive unilateral measures force developing and .