On July 14, 2023, in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevated the ‘Partnership for the Planet’ as one of the three pillars of the Indo-French Horizon 2047 Roadmap.
This decision reflects the intensification of Indo-French cooperation over the past few years on issues such as climate change, biodiversity, health, and environment.
This has led to high-profile joint initiatives on the world stage, such as the International Solar Alliance.
Behind one-horned rhino protection in Assam, Pune’s metro system, and Chandigarh’s future water supply system projects stands the French Development Agency (AFD), India’s steadfast partner to achieve its sustainability goals.
The AFD Group is the operational arm of France’s international partnership strategy.
It comprises AFD, its private sector arm Proparco, and the technical cooperation agency Expertise France.
It pursues a holistic approach to development, seeking to harmonise growth with the achievement of SDGs
India has long been a priority partner for AFD, which is active in four strategic sectors: energy transition, sustainable urban development, biodiversity conservation and resilience of territories, and reduction of inequalities.
Since 2008, the AFD Group has committed more than €4 billion for nearly 100 projects in India, which are implemented by Indian public and private partners.
That makes India the number one partner of the AFD in terms of financial exposure.
A whopping 83% of its portfolio contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation,and 63% addresses gender equality.
Further, four environment protection projects were signed in 2023 and their implementation started.
One is a project with Rajasthan for increasing forest cover, creating better conditions for wildlife to live and reproduce, while sustaining livelihoods of local communities
Also a green credit line with the State Bank of India was disbursed for electric buses and energy-efficient housing
Supporting private sector-led projects is also key in delivering real impact for local communities.
One such example is Proparco’s investment, along with other co-investors, of €11.2 million as growth capital in Sahyadri.
It is the first international equity investment in a farmer-led organisation in India.
The project will help 15,000 farmers reduce farm losses and the use of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as enable them to increase yields and the quality of their produce
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