Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Prime Minister's Office
25-January-2015 20:39 IST
Joint Statement during the visit of President of USA to India– ''Shared Effort; Progress for All''
•
- The President of
the United States of America, Barack Obama, accompanied by First Lady
Michelle Obama, is visiting India from 25-27 January 2015. The President
of India and the Prime Minister of India welcomed the U.S. President as
the Chief Guest at India's 66th Republic Day celebrations, the first U.S.
President to grace this historic event.
- Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama assessed the extensive bilateral
strategic and global partnership between their two countries and pledged
to continue to enhance cooperation across the spectrum of human endeavor
to better their citizens’ lives and that of the global community.
- Noting that the
multifaceted partnership between the United States and India is rooted in
shared values of democracy and strong economic and people-to-people ties,
President Obama and Prime Minister Modi elevated the bilateral
relationship through their endorsement of a new India-U.S. Delhi
Declaration of Friendship, which builds on their 30 September Vision
Statement by articulating tangible principles to guide ongoing efforts to
advance mutual prosperity, a clean and healthy environment, greater
economic cooperation, regional peace, security and stability for the
larger benefit of humankind.
- Recognizing the
important role that both countries play in promoting peace, prosperity,
stability and security in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, and
noting that India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and the United States’ rebalance to
Asia provide opportunities for India, the United States, and other
Asia-Pacific countries to work closely to strengthen regional ties, the
Leaders announced a Joint Strategic Vision to guide their engagement in
the region.
- The Prime Minister
and the President acknowledged and expressed satisfaction at the
qualitative reinvigoration of strategic ties and the intensity of substantive
interactions since the Prime Minister's visit to Washington in September
2014. They appreciated the focused action and accomplishments by both
sides on the decisions taken during the Summit in September and in this
regard, they welcomed:
- The 30 September
2014 signing of an implementing agreement between the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) to conduct the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture
Radar (NISAR) mission.
- The convening of
the Defence Policy Group and its subgroups on 28-29 October 2014 to
pursue stronger and expanded bilateral defence cooperation.
- India’s ongoing
facilitation of U.S. Department of Defense humanitarian missions in
India, including a mission in October and November 2014, to recover the
remains of fallen U.S. soldiers who served in World War II.
- The signing of the
India-U.S. Statement of Guiding Principles on Triangular Cooperation for
Global Development on 3 November 2014, in furtherance of bilateral
efforts to advance sustainable development in cooperation with partner
countries around the world.
- The breakthrough
between India and the United States on issues relating to the
implementation of the Bali Ministerial Decisions regarding public
stockholding for food security purposes, the WTO Trade Facilitation
Agreement, and post Bali work.
- Convening of the
U.S.-India Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation
in New Delhi on 17 November 2014 to review, exchange views, and advance
cooperation in diverse areas of science and technology and foster
engagement in techno-entrepreneurship and innovation partnership for
mutual benefit.
- Convening of the
India-U.S. Higher Education Dialogue in New Delhi on 17 November 2014 to
further bilateral cooperation in this field, strengthen partnerships
between Indian and U.S. universities and community colleges, improve
student and scholar mobility, and promote faculty collaboration.
- The signing of the
MoU on 18 November 2014 between Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
Ltd. and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which would make
available up to $1 billion in financing to facilitate expanded
cooperation and enhance U.S. private sector investment in Indian clean
energy projects.
- Successful hosting
of the bilateral India-U.S. Technology Summit on 18-19 November 2014 with
the U.S. as a partner country for the first time.
- Convening of the
High Technology Cooperation Group on 20-21 November 2014 to shape a
cooperative agenda on high technology goods, including export
control-related trade in homeland security technologies, high technology
manufacturing equipment including machine tools, defence trade, and
fostering collaboration in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical
devices, and health-related information technology.
- Convening of the
Smart Cities Conclave on 22 November 2014 organised by the U.S.-India
Business Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Urban Development
and the Mayors and Commissioners of Ajmer (Rajasthan), Allahabad (Uttar
Pradesh) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and the decision by the
Government of India to constitute a high-level committee for each of the
three Smart Cities comprising different departments of the Central
Government, the state governments, local governments, and representatives
of the U.S. industry.
- Signing of three
MoUs between the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and
Rajasthan and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on 25 January 2015 to
develop Vishakhapatnam, Allahabad, and Ajmer as Smart Cities with the
participation of U.S. industry, in furtherance of the commitment made by
the Leaders in September 2014.
- The convening of
the Trade Policy Forum at the Ministerial level on 24-25 November 2014,
in which India and the United States agreed to work towards resolving
commercial impediments in both markets, to help realize the potential of
bilateral trade in goods and services, and to promote investment and
manufacturing.
- Convening of the
India-U.S. Political Military Dialogue on 4 December 2014 to exchange
perspectives on bilateral strategic and regional issues.
- Convening the
sixth round of the India-U.S.-Japan trilateral discussions on 20 December
2014 to deepen regional engagement and to discuss ways to implement
projects on the ground.
- The launch of the
Infrastructure Collaboration Platform in New Delhi on 13 January 2015 to
promote enhanced market access and financing to increase U.S. industry
participation in the growth and development of sectors that support
Indian infrastructure.
- The 12-15 January
2015 expert exchange on Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED)
strategies and technologies and completion of a Joint Statement of Intent
and a work plan for a programme of bilateral C-IED cooperation.
- The signing of a
framework on and inauguration of the India-U.S. Investment Initiative in
Washington on 12-15 January 2015 to jointly cooperate on facilitating
capital market development conducive to financing investment; creating an
environment that encourages investment in various sectors in India; and working
to overcome any obstacles to such investment.
- The convening of
the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group in
Washington on 14-15 January 2015 and the 23 January signing of the Joint
Declaration of Intent to advance implementation of the Digital India
programme and further bilateral commercial ICT cooperation.
- Launching of a Knowledge
Partnership in defence studies expressing a shared desire to pursue
collaborative activities between the United States and Indian National
Defence Universities.
- Signing of the
Statement of Cooperation for Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory
Information between the Reserve Bank of India and Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Reserve System, and Office of the
Comptroller of Currency (OCC).
- Convening of
Indian and U.S. CEOs who are committed to deepening bilateral economic
ties by identifying current impediments to trade and investment and
working with the two government to find solutions; and identifying
emerging sectors where public-private partnership can unlock new
collaborations between our two peoples.
- The 13 January
2015 signing of the MoU between the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Urban Development
to enable USAID to share expertise, best practices, innovation and
technologies in support of India's efforts to strengthen water,
sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in urban areas.
- India’s recent
introduction of visa-on-arrival for U.S. citizens and the convening of
the first technical discussions to advance India’s membership in the
United States’ Global Entry Program, initiatives aimed at easing travel
between India and the United States to further strengthen
people-to-people ties.
- Cooperation on
scientific research collaboration on the Indian Monsoon Rainfall
currently underway aboard the U.S. research vessel JOIDES Resolution in
the Bay of Bengal.
- The conclusion of
the first of two project annexes between the Indian Department of Atomic
Energy–Department of Science and Technology and the U.S. Department of
Energy, which will enable discovery science cooperation in particle accelerator
and high energy physics.
- The 22 January
signing of the MoU between the U.S. Department of Treasury and India’s
Ministry of Finance to enhance cooperation to combat money laundering and
the financing of terrorism.The Completion of an MoU between the Indian
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Biotechnology,
Indian Council of Medical Research, All Indian Institute of Medical
Sciences, and the U.S National Institute of Health and National Cancer
Institute.
- The 23 January
signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent between USAID and the Ministry
of Human Resource Development for technical support to the Indian
Institutes of Technology (IITs), starting with IIT Gandhinagar, to
strengthen research and entrepreneurship capabilities.
- The recent
finalization of the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense
Relationship, which will guide and expand the bilateral defence and
strategic partnership over the next ten years.
- The 22 January
signing of the India-U.S. Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation
(RDT&E) Agreement to facilitate cooperation in defence research and
development.
- Continuing
bilateral engagement on the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative
(DTTI), including the 22 January 2015 agreement in principle to pursue
co-production and co-development of four pathfinder projects, form a
working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design,
and explore possible cooperation on development of jet engine technology.
- Prime Minister Modi
and President Obama jointly appreciated the significant efforts undertaken
by both sides in recent months to re-energize the strategic partnership,
and affirmed expanding the substantive underpinnings of our diversified
bilateral strategic partnership including through expanded strategic
consultations, stronger defence, security, and economic cooperation.
- President
Obama also reiterated his support for Prime Minister Modi's vision to
transform India, and recognized that India's focus on its development
priorities presented substantial opportunities for forging stronger
India-U.S. economic ties and greater people-to-people contacts.
Reaffirming that India’s rise is also in the interest of the United
States, regional and global stability, and global economic growth,
President Obama reiterated the United States' readiness to partner with
India in this transformation. The two leaders pledged to translate their
commitment of "Chalein Saath Saath”: "Forward Together We
Go" of September into action through "Sanjha Prayaas; Sab Ka
Vikaas": "Shared Effort; Progress For All".
Economic Growth
- Prime Minister Modi
and President Obama expressed confidence that continued bilateral
collaboration will increase opportunities for investment, improve
bilateral trade and investment ties and lead to the creation of jobs and
prosperity in both economies. In this regard, the Leaders agreed to
continue to strengthen their broad-based partnership for development
through stronger trade, technology, manufacturing, and investment linkages
between the two countries and triangular cooperation with partner
countries, and that continued efforts to maintain labor standards as per
domestic law and agreed international norms will make these linkages more
durable. The two sides also committed to continuing to cooperate on the
finalization of the Post-Bali Work Programme in the spirit of the Doha
mandate.
- The President and
the Prime Minister affirmed their shared commitment to facilitating
increased bilateral investment flows and fostering an open and predictable
climate for investment. To this end, the Leaders instructed their
officials to assess the prospects for moving forward with high-standard
bilateral investment treaty discussions given their respective approaches.
- The President and
the Prime Minister also welcomed the fifth annual U.S.-India Economic and
Financial Partnership Dialogue in February, in which the countries will
deepen their dialogue on macroeconomic policy, financial sector regulation
and development, infrastructure investment, tax policy, and efforts to combat
money laundering and terrorist financing.
- The two sides
agreed to hold a discussion on the elements required in both countries to
pursue an India-U.S. Totalisation Agreement.
- President Obama
commended Prime Minister Modi’s "Jan Dhan” scheme to prioritize
financial inclusion for India’s poor. The Leaders noted India’s intent to
join the Better Than Cash Alliance.
- The Leaders
committed to explore areas of collaboration in skill development ranging
from establishing quality assurance systems for skilling certification
standards, setting up of skill development centres, nurturing and
promoting social entrepreneurship and strengthening the innovation and
entrepreneurship ecosystem.
- President Obama and
Prime Minister Modi agreed to collaborate in the implementation of India's
ambitious Digital India programme and expand commercial cooperation,
including by encouraging investment engagement in the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
- In recognition of
the importance of their ongoing commercial discussions, the two sides
agreed to hold public-private discussions in early 2015 under the aegis of
the India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue for a period of two years, until March
2016, on mutually agreed areas of cooperation.
- Recognizing the
progress made in constructive engagement on Intellectual Property under
the last round of the India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum held in November,
2014, the Leaders also looked forward to enhancing engagement on
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in 2015 under the High Level Working
Group on Intellectual Property, to the mutual benefit of both the
countries.
- Acknowledging the
potential for technological cooperation in the rail sector in augmenting
and optimizing India's rail infrastructure, the Leaders agreed to
facilitate U.S. Trade and Development Agency and Indian Railways technical
cooperation that will assist Indian Railways’ efforts to modify its
leasing and public-private partnership frameworks to attract private
sector funding.
- The Leaders
recognized the robust public-private U.S.-India civil aviation partnership
and agreed to continue working together to identify emerging technologies
and build a larger commercial engagement agenda through key events such as
the 2015 U.S.-India Aviation Summit and demonstration of advanced U.S.
technologies.
- Reaffirming their
commitment to safety and security of civil aviation, the United States and
India will continue consultations between the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and the India Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) to ensure international safety standards set by the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with the aim of restoring Category I
status at the earliest possible time.
- Noting the
importance of ongoing cooperation in higher education, the President and
Prime Minister welcomed ongoing efforts to extend a knowledge partnership
for supporting the Indian Institute of Technology at Gandhinagar through
USAID. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi also pledged to collaborate
through India's Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN), to
facilitate short-term teaching and research programs by up to 1000
visiting U.S. academics in Indian universities.
- The
Leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening international financial
institutions, including the International Monetary Fund. The President
also affirmed his commitment to enhancing India's voice and vote in
international Financial Institutions and ensuring that resources are made
available and used creatively through multilateral development banks for
infrastructure financing. Prime Minister Modi appreciated the efforts of
the U.S. Treasury for cooperating with the Ministry of Finance on the Task
Force on Resolution Corporation set up in pursuance of the recommendations
of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.
High Technology, Space and Health Cooperation
- Prime Minister Modi
and President Obama reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that
partnerships in science, technology and innovation are a crucial component
of the overall bilateral engagement in the 21st century. They also
reaffirmed their support for the role that science, technology and
innovation partnerships can play in addressing pressing challenges in
areas such as food, water, energy, climate, and health and developing
innovative solutions that are affordable, accessible and adaptable, meet
the needs of the people of the two countries and benefit the global
community. To this end, the Leaders agreed to continue to develop
cooperative efforts in many areas of science, technology, and innovation,
including studying the impacts of water, air pollution, sanitation and
hygiene on human health and well-being.
- The Leaders also
agreed to continue U.S.-India collaboration in hydrology and water studies
and monsoon modelling and noted the need to expeditiously work towards
launching an Indo-U.S. Climate Fellowship to facilitate human capacity
building. The Prime Minister and the President also reaffirmed the
importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen women's participation in
science, technology, engineering, and math through networking and
mentoring programs.
- The President and
the Prime Minister welcome efforts, under the bilateral High Technology
Cooperation Group, to seek timely resolution of the challenges to trade in
High Technology goods, including the U.S. licensing requirements for trade
in certain dual use items.
- The Leaders
reaffirmed the importance of providing transparent and predictable policy
environments for fostering innovation. Both countries reiterated their
interest in sharing information and best practices on IPR issues, and
reaffirmed their commitment to stakeholders’ consultations on policy
matters concerning intellectual property protection.
- President Obama and
Prime Minister Modi agreed to further promote cooperative and commercial
relations between India and the United States in the field of space. The
leaders noted the on-going interactions between their space agencies,
including towards realizing a dual frequency radar imaging satellite for
Earth Sciences, and exploring possibilities for cooperation in studying
Mars.
- The Leaders took
note of ongoing U.S.-India space cooperation, including the first
face-to-face meeting of the ISRO-NASA Mars Working Group from 29-31
January 2015 in Bangalore, in which the two sides will consider
opportunities for enhanced cooperation in Mars exploration, including
potential coordinated observations and analysis between ISRO’s Mars
Orbiter Mission and NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission
(MAVEN). The Prime Minister and the President also welcomed continued
progress toward enhanced space cooperation via the U.S.-India Civil Space
Joint Working Group, which will meet later this year in India.
- Under the umbrella
of an implementing agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the
Department of Atomic Energy of India, the Leaders welcomed expanded
collaboration in basic physics research, and accelerator research and
development.
- The Leaders
reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)
and announced specific actions at home and abroad to prevent the spread of
infectious diseases, including a CDC-Ministry of Health Ebola and GHSA
preparedness training, expansion of the India Epidemic Intelligence
Service, and development of a roadmap to achieve the objectives of the
GHSA within three years.
- The Leaders also
committed to multi-sectoral actions countering the emergence and spread of
antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and cooperation in training of health
workers in preparedness for infectious disease threats. The Leaders agreed
to focus science and technology partnerships on countering antibiotic
resistant bacteria and promoting the availability, efficacy and quality of
therapeutics.
- The Leaders
welcomed further progress in promoting bilateral cooperation on cancer
research, prevention, control, and management and agreed to continue to
strengthen the engagement between the CDC and India’s National Centre for
Disease Control.
- The President and
Prime Minister also welcomed the upcoming completion of an Environmental
Health, Occupational Health and Injury Prevention and Control MoU between
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Indian Council
for Medical Research to further collaborative efforts to improve the
health and welfare of both countries’ citizens.
- The Prime Minister
and the President also agreed to expand the India-U.S. Health Initiative
into a Healthcare Dialogue with relevant stakeholders to further
strengthen bilateral collaboration in health sectors including through
capacity building initiatives and by exploring new areas, including
affordable healthcare, cost saving mechanisms, distribution barriers,
patent quality, health services information technology, and complementary
and traditional medicine. The President and the Prime Minister pledged to
encourage dialogue between the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and its Indian counterparts on traditional medicine. The Leaders
also pledged to strengthen collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation
between the regulatory authorities of the two countries to ensure safety,
efficacy, and quality of pharmaceuticals, including generic medicines.
- The
Leaders also agreed to accelerate joint leadership of the global Call to
Action to end preventable deaths among mothers and children through a
third meeting of the 24 participating countries in India in June 2015. As
host, India will showcase the power of new partnerships, innovations and
systems to more effectively deliver life-saving interventions. They also
lauded the highly successful collaboration on a locally produced vaccine
against rotavirus which will save the lives of an estimated 80,000
children each year in India alone, and pledged to strengthen the
cooperation in health research and capacity building through a new phase
of the India-U.S. Vaccine Action Programme.
Defence and Homeland Security Cooperation
- Prime Minister Modi
and President Obama welcomed the efforts made by both sides to expand
bilateral defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest and reaffirmed
their commitment to continue to work towards deepening the bilateral
defence relationship. The Leaders acknowledged bilateral military ties as
the foundation of the defense relationship and encouraged their respective
militaries to pursue additional opportunities for engagement through
exercises, military personnel exchanges, and defense dialogues.
- The Leaders also
acknowledged the need for the two-way defence engagement to include
technology cooperation and collaboration, co-production and
co-development. To this end, the President and the Prime Minister
emphasized the ongoing importance of the Defence Technology and Trade
Initiative (DTTI) in developing new areas of technology cooperation in the
defence sector including through co-development and co-production and the
Prime Minister welcomed the U.S. Defense Department’s establishment of a
dedicated rapid reaction team focused exclusively on advancing DTTI. The
Leaders expressed confidence that continued DTTI collaboration will yield
additional joint projects in the near future.
- The President also
welcomed the Prime Minister's initiatives to liberalize the Foreign Direct
Investment Policy regime in the defence sector and the Leaders agreed to
cooperate on India's efforts to establish a defence industrial base in
India, including through initiatives like 'Make in India.'
- Prime Minister Modi
and President Obama expressed satisfaction over the efforts made by both
countries to deepen cooperation in the field of maritime security, as
reflected in the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship.
To this end, they agreed that the navies of both sides would continue
discussions to identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation.
They also reiterated their commitment to upgrading their bilateral naval
exercise MALABAR.
- The two sides also
noted the growing cooperation between their law enforcement agencies,
particularly in the areas of extradition and mutual legal assistance, to
counter transnational criminal threats such as terrorism, narcotics,
trafficking, financial and economic fraud, cybercrime, and transnational
organized crime and pledged to enhance such cooperation further. The
President and the Prime Minister also noted the serious risks to national
and economic security from malicious cyber activity and agreed to
cooperate on enhancing operational sharing of cyber threat information,
examining how international law applies in cyberspace, and working
together to build agreement on norms of responsible state behavior.
- The Leaders
committed to undertake efforts to make the U.S.-India partnership a
defining counterterrorism relationship for the 21st Century by deepening
collaboration to combat the full spectrum of terrorist threats and keep
their respective homelands and citizens safe from attacks. The Leaders
reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations with ‘zero tolerance’ and reaffirmed their deep concern
over the continued threat posed by transnational terrorism including by
groups like Al Qaida and the ISIL, and called for eliminating terrorist
safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their
financing, and stopping cross-border movement of terrorists.
- The Leaders
reaffirmed the need for joint and concerted efforts to disrupt entities
such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and the Haqqani
Network, and agreed to continue ongoing efforts through the Homeland
Security Dialogue as well as the next round of the U.S.-India Joint
Working Group on Counter Terrorism in late 2015 to develop actionable
elements of bilateral engagement. The two sides noted the recent U.S.
sanctions against three D Company affiliates. The President and the Prime
Minister further agreed to continue to work toward an agreement to share
information on known and suspected terrorists. They also agreed to enter
discussions to deepen collaboration on UN terrorist designations, and
reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the
November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.
- The
President and the Prime Minister also noted the positive cooperative
engagement between the Indian and the U.S. authorities with a view to
working together to counter the threat of IEDs and to develop
counterterrorism best practices.
Energy and Climate Change
- Noting
that the Contact Group set up in September 2014 to advance implementation
of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation has met three times in December and
January, the Leaders welcomed the understandings reached on the issues of
civil nuclear liability and administrative arrangements for civil nuclear
cooperation, and looked forward to U.S.-built nuclear reactors
contributing to India’s energy security at the earliest.
Clean Energy Goal and Cooperation
- President
Obama and Prime Minister Modi emphasized the critical importance of
expanding clean energy research, development, manufacturing and
deployment, which increases energy access and reduces greenhouse gas
emissions. The leaders announced actions to advance India's transition to
low carbon economy. India intends to increase the share of use of
renewable in electricity generation consistent with its intended goal to
increase India's solar target to 100 gigawatts by 2022. The United States
intends to support India's goal by enhancing cooperation on clean energy
and climate change, to include:
i. Expanding Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R): A
renewed commitment to PACE-R, including extending funding for three
existing research tracks of solar energy, building energy efficiency, and
biofuels for an additional five years and launching a new track on smart
grid and grid storage.
ii. Expanding Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D):
Both the countries intended to expand our current Partnership to Advance
Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D) through increased bilateral engagements
and further joint initiatives to expand cooperation in support of India’s
ambitious targets in renewable energy.
iii. Accelerating Clean Energy Finance: Prime Minister Modi emphasized
India's ongoing efforts to create a market environment that will promote
trade and investment in this sector. President Obama welcomed India's
ambitious solar energy goals and encouraged India to continue its efforts
to increase trade and private investment in this sector. President Obama
conveyed the potential availability of U.S. Government official financing
in this area, consistent with its policies, to support private sector
involvement for those entities in contributing to India’s clean energy
requirements.
iv. Launching Air Quality Cooperation: Implementing EPA’s AIR
Now-International Program and megacities partnerships, focused on
disseminating information to help the urban dwellers to reduce their
exposure to harmful levels of air pollution, and enable urban policy
planners to implement corrective strategies for improving Ambient Air
Quality in the cities keeping in view health and climate change
co-benefits of these strategies.
v. Initiating Climate Resilience Tool Development: Jointly undertaking a
partnership on climate resilience that will work to downscale
international climate models for the Indian sub-continent to much higher
resolution than currently available, assess climate risks at the
sub-national level, work with local technical institutes on capacity
building, and engage local decision-makers in the process of addressing
climate information needs and informing planning and climate resilient
sustainable development, including for India’s State Action Plans.
vi. Demonstrating Clean Energy and Climate Initiatives on the Ground:
Additional pilot programs and other collaborative projects in the areas of
space cooling, super-efficient appliances, renewable energy storage, and
smart grids.
vii. Concluding MOU on Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change:
Both countries concluded negotiations on a five year MOU to carry this
work forward, to be signed as early as possible at a mutually agreed upon
date.
Climate Change
- The United
States of America and the Republic of India recognize that global climate
change is a profound threat to humanity and to the imperatives of
sustainable development, growth and the eradication of poverty. President
Obama and Prime Minister Modi share a deep concern regarding the climate
challenge and understand that meeting it will require concerted action by
their countries and the international community. They stressed the
importance of enhancing their bilateral cooperation on adaptation
measures, as well as joint research and development and technology
innovation, adoption and diffusion for clean energy and efficiency
solutions that will help achieve the goals of transitioning to a climate
resilient and low carbon economy. They also stressed the importance of
working together and with other countries to conclude an ambitious climate
agreement in Paris in 2015. To this end, they plan to cooperate closely
over the next year to achieve a successful agreement in Paris. The
President and Prime Minister reaffirmed their prior understanding from
September 2014 concerning the phase down of HFCs and agreed to cooperate
on making concrete progress in the Montreal Protocol this year.
Global Issues and Regional Consultations
- The Leaders agreed
to expand their efforts to assist other developing countries and address
global development challenges for the benefit of the wider region and the
world and they lauded ongoing triangular assistance, which may involve
U.S.-India collaboration to address development challenges in third
countries in areas including health, energy, food security, disaster
management, and women’s empowerment. The two sides noted that this
collaboration, which is active with Afghanistan, East and West Africa, may
be expanded to additional third countries.
- Further
underscoring the importance of implementing infrastructure projects to
enhance connectivity and enable freer flow of commerce and energy in the
region, the Leaders agreed to develop additional areas in which both sides
could work together, including on India's initiatives to enhance its
connectivity with the South and South East Asian region. The President and
the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of the economic and
transport connectivity between Central and South Asia and the need to
promote a secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan as part of a secure,
stable, and prosperous region. Reaffirming the importance of their
strategic partnerships with Afghanistan, the Leaders asserted the
importance of a sustainable, inclusive, sovereign, and democratic
political order in Afghanistan and they agreed to convene further
high-level consultations on Afghanistan in the near future.
- The President and
the Prime Minister also welcomed the role of the leaders- led East Asia
Summit (EAS) process in promoting open, balanced and inclusive security
architecture in the region. Noting the discussions in the sixth round of
the India-US-Japan Trilateral Dialogue, the President and the Prime
Minister underlined the importance of the cooperation between the three
countries through identification of projects of common interest and their
early implementation, and they decided to explore holding the dialogue
among their Foreign Ministers.
- The President and
Prime Minister pledged to strengthen their efforts to forge a partnership
to lead global efforts for non-proliferation of WMDs, to reduce the
salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs, and to promote
universal, verifiable and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament.
They supported negotiations on a fissile material cut-off Treaty on the
basis of the Shannon Mandate in the Conference on Disarmament.
- As active
participants in the Nuclear Security Summit process, the United States and
India welcomed progress towards reducing the risk of terrorists acquiring
nuclear weapons or related materials, and noted their shared commitment to
improving nuclear security nationally and globally. The Prime Minister
welcomed the hosting of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit by the United
States. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi also welcomed the recent
convening of the first bilateral nuclear security best practices exchange,
under the auspices of the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, as
an example of their cooperation on nuclear security.
- In a further effort
to strengthen global nonproliferation and export control regimes, the
President and the Prime Minister committed to continue to work towards
India’s phased entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the
Australia Group. The President reaffirmed the United States’ position that
India meets MTCR requirements and is ready for NSG membership and that it
supports India’s early application and eventual membership in all four
regimes.
- The Leaders
expressed concern over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK)
nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, including its uranium enrichment
activity. They urged the DPRK to take concrete steps toward
denuclearization, as well as to comply fully with its international
obligations, including relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and to
fulfill its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party
talks.
- The Leaders
welcomed recent progress and noted the criticality of Iran taking steps to
verifiably assure the international community of the exclusively peaceful
nature of its nuclear programme, and agreed that this is an historic
opportunity for Iran to resolve outstanding concerns related to its
nuclear programme.
- Highlighting the
United States' and India’s shared democratic values and recognizing the
important role of women in their societies, the Leaders looked forward to
reconvening the Women Empowerment Dialogue as early as possible and
reasserted their zero tolerance for violence against women. The Leaders
also looked forward to the reconvening of the Global Issues Forum.
- The President and
the Prime Minister also reaffirmed their commitment to consult closely on
global crises, including in Iraq and Syria. The Leaders agreed to exchange
information on individuals returning from these conflict zones and to
continue to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of
civilians caught up in these conflicts.
- President Obama
reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a
permanent member, and both leaders committed to ensuring that the Security
Council continues to play an effective role in maintaining international
peace and security as envisioned in the United Nations Charter. They also
committed to accelerate their peacekeeping capacity-building efforts in
third countries.
- Both sides also
acknowledged that the Internet was a central element of the information
society and a powerful enabler of global economic and social progress.
Both sides also noted that the growth of the Internet in the coming decade
would be from developing countries, of which India would be a significant
contributor, especially in the context of its "Digital India"
programme.
- The Leaders
recognized that a digital divide persists between and within countries in
terms of the availability, affordability and use of information and
communications technologies, and they stressed the need to continue to
bridge that divide, to ensure that the benefits of new technologies,
especially information and communications technologies for development,
are available to all people, including the poorest of the poor.
- President Obama
thanked Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for the extraordinary
hospitality extended to him on his second presidential visit to India, and
he congratulated the nation on the celebration of its 66th Republic Day.
The Leaders reflected proudly on recent achievements and looked forward to
continuing to work together to build a U.S.-India partnership that is
transformative for their two peoples and for the
world.
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DS/AK