The uncertainties posed by the United States notwithstanding, India has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the full implementation of the landmark Paris climate change agreement.
Participating at the "leadership Summit on Environment Pact", held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday, Swaraj declared that India would "work above and beyond" the Paris pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Our commitment is for the future generations," she said at the summit that was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron. "living in harmony with nature and sustainable patterns of consumption is central to our ethos."
Stating that India has been a longstanding and active participant in global debates on environment and development, Swaraj said New Delhi will work closely with the UN Secretary-General and related UN agencies, especially in the context of the International Solar Alliance.
Macron, who has launched a French initiative to create the first international legally-binding document on the environment, also used his address to the UN General Assembly to reject the Trump administration's demand that the Paris climate pact must be renegotiated if the US has to remain a part of it.
In line with Trump's announcement in June that the United States will pull out of the Paris pact, a White House official said on Monday: "We are withdrawing from the Paris agreement unless we can re-engage on terms more favourable to the United States." Trump himself made no reference to the major issue in his own UNGA address on Tuesday.
Macron, however, squarely addressed the climate pact in his address. "We won't go back" on the agreement, he said categorically. Saying he "profoundly respects" the Trump administration's decision, Macron commented that the "doors will always remain open" for the United States to rejoin the pact.
The pact envisions a 26 per cent to 28 per cent reduction by the United States in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
"The future of the world is that of our planet, which is on course to take vengeance on the foolishness of men. The planet will not negotiate with us," Macron commented in the course of his address. France, he said, would allocate €5 billion for climate action from now until 2020.
At the leadership summit, the French President's Global Environment Pact initiative to create a legally-binding document on the environment came in for praise from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"It is about our duty of care to provide an environment that supports the health, well-being, dignity, and prosperity of everyone on this planet. let us support this worthy initiative," Guterres said.
Swaraj, who had another day of hectic engagements, also participated at a NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine, where she renewed India's commitment to Palestine and made the case for an early, negotiated solution to the issue with Israel.
"For independent India, support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy. India's commitment to the Palestinian cause and our solidarity with the Palestinian people can never be undermined," she said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel in July, Swaraj said India reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region.