In May 2025, Arunabha Gosh, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Delhi(Delhi)-based Council of Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a climate and energy think tank of India, has been appointed as the South Asia envoy for the 30th Conference of Parties (COP-30), a United Nations(UN) climate conference, which will be held in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
- He is currently the Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP)
- He is one of the ten international envoys for strategic regions.
Key Points:
i.Arunabha Gosh will play a key role in facilitating dialogue and ensuring that South Asian voices are strongly represented and supported at the global climate conference.
ii.The appointed envoys will serve on a voluntary and personal basis, will serve as a key person for the flow of information and perspectives from the area they represent, enabling faster and more effective communication.
iii.Other 9 international envoys are
- Jacinda Ardern (Oceania), Former Prime Minister(PM) of New Zealand
- Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (Latin America and the Caribbean), Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC).
- Laurence Tubiana (Europe), Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the European Climate Foundation and key architect of the Paris Agreement
- Adnan Amin (Middle East), First Director-General(DG) of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
- Xie Zhenhua (East Asia), China’s long-serving climate envoy and veteran negotiator
- Jonathan Pershing (North America), Former United States of America(USA) climate envoy and current program director at the Hewlett Foundation.
- Carlos Lopes (Africa), Former Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
- Denis Minev (Amazonian private sector), Brazilian entrepreneur and sustainability advocate
- Joaquim Belo (Amazonian civil society), Representative of Amazonian civil society
iv.In addition to these regional envoys, the COP30 Presidency has appointed 20 envoys to represent key sectors.
About Arunabha Gosh:
i.He is an internationally recognized public policy expert, author, and institution builder. He played a key role in shaping climate and development policies.
ii.He was instrumental in the creation of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and served as a founding member of the Clean Energy Access Network (CEAN)
iii.His has held advisory roles in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Economic Forum (WEF).
iv.In 2020, the Government of India (GOI) appointed him as Co-Chair of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020).
v.In 2022, the Asia Society honoured him with the Asia Game Changer Award for his contribution in making a real difference for India and the planet.
About the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Arunabha Gosh
Headquarters -New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 2010
