Dubai: Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland has said that he has been a really important leader because of his innovation and creativity, as India is producing more unicorns than almost any other country. She added that this has happened because of an ecosystem that supports innovation.

While speaking to ANI, the Commonwealth Secretary General said, “He (PM Modi) has been a really important leader because of innovation and creativity. If you look at what India is doing, it’s producing more unicorns than almost any other country. And many of those new innovations are focused on our delivery. So this creation of an ecosystem that supports innovation, which is what Prime Minister Modi has done, is critically important.”

“I’ve said before that human genius got us into this mess. This is how we came up with the Industrial Revolution. Now there is a technological revolution, and it’s being led, in the main, by India and a number of other countries. So his contribution to that, particularly in relation to women, is critically important,” she said.

On India’s role in tackling climate change, she underlined that New Delhi has a vital role to play as it has become a technological giant and this is an opportunity to use the data that is available.

She said, “India has a vital role to play. India has become a technological giant and this is an opportunity for us to use the data we have, the geospatial data, to enable us to respond better to the exogenous shocks to which we are subject, particularly the climate crisis. So I know that the whole Commonwealth is grateful for what India did during COVID because it was able to come up with some of the solutions in terms of distribution. And we’re looking to India again to do that leadership role. And we know that if we share data, if we share knowledge about what works, what doesn’t work, then we’ll really get there faster. So green energy is pivotal. India is leading the way, along with a number of other countries, and we really want her to continue to do that and help the rest of the Commonwealth family.”

Calling India’s G20 Presidency “phenomenal,” she said that it is about time to talk about the G-21, adding, “Because of what India has done, Africa is now represented in the G-20, an incredibly important step forward.”

“India has been innovative, creative, but most importantly, inclusive. And that inclusivity–taking together the diversity of our world and making sure that we all have a platform from which we can be truly heard–is critically important. I think everyone will be congratulating India, congratulating Prime Minister Modi for a phenomenal presidency of the G-20. So well done, India. And I can’t help but mention India got to the south side of the moon, and it was led by a woman,” she told ANI.

When asked whether the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict will have any impact on COP 28, Scotland stated, “Well, I hope it will make us concentrate even more, because if we have no world, then the conflicts become contextualised. We are talking about an existential threat–a global threat. We have to save our world, and we have to save ourselves from conflict.”

She further went on to say that “financing” is high up on the agenda during this year’s COP28 climate talks that are taking place in Dubai.

“Well, what’s absolutely on the agenda is the financing, because, you know, way back in 2009, the world committed to producing USD 100 billion, which is particularly important to those small and developing countries that are the worst affected by climate change. So I hope we will deliver on our financial obligations,” she said.

“We know that it’s going to take about USD 4 trillion a year in order to meet the 2030 agenda and the Paris Agenda, but right now, we only have 630 billion dollars, so we’re nowhere near the target…So we need to get serious about the money we need and make sure those who are really in need get it,” she added.

COP28, which stands for the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is taking place in Dubai, UAE, from November 30 – December 12 this year.

Delegates from almost 200 nations will be present at the summit, including world leaders like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive in Dubai later today. PM Modi had earlier attended the Glasgow conference in 2021, during which he unveiled India’s five-pronged ‘Panchamrit’ strategy to deal with climate change.

During COP-26 in Glasgow, the Prime Minister announced five specific targets, titled “Panchamrit,” as India’s unprecedented contribution to climate action.

The Prime Minister had also announced Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) on that occasion.