United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCCC

(unfccc website)

Background-
  In 1992 , countries joined an international treaty, UNFCCC, to cooperatively consider what they could do to limit average global temperature increases and resulting climate change , and to cope with whatever impacts were, by then , inevitable.
  By 1995 , countries realised that emission reductions provisions in the convention were inadequate. They launched negotiations to strenghten the global response to climate chnage , nad two years later, adopted Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed countries to emission reduction targets. The Protocols first commitment period started in 2008 and ends in 2012.

Durban Conference-
   The 17th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) was held in Durban, South Africa during 28 Nov- 11 Dec 2011.

• new treaty in place of Kyoto Protocol to be prepared till 2015.
• In Kyoto Protocol only developing countries were legally bound to emission reduction targets, whereas in the new treaty all the countries will be bound.
• new proposed treaty will be formed under the process - "Durban Platform for Enhanced Action".
• new treaty will be enacted by 2020.
• 100 arab dollars to be collected for Green Climate Fund till 2020.
• next global summit will be held in Qatar in the end of year 2012.

 

Issues concerning National Identificatio Authority of India 2010

• The UIDAI was set up under Planning Commission by an executive order on january 28, 2009. The scheme involves the collection of demographic and biometric information to issue ID numbers to individuals.
• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance finds the UID project to "conceptualised with no clarity" and "directionless".

 Issues -

• Initially , the scheme was meant for individuals who come under below poverty line but later it included all the indian citizens , which shows lack of vision.
• the scheme is in violation with the Citizenship Act 1955  and the Citizenship Act 2003 since neither of the acts authorizes collection of biometric data.
• the ministry of finance (department of expenditure) has been concerned about the duplication of effort and expenditure among atleast six agencies that collect information- the National Population Register, the MNREGS, the BPL  Census, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and bank smart cards.
• the ministry of home affairs , has raised security concerns about the involvement of private agencies and also that the fee could be imposed due the involvement of private agencies.
• concerns are raised about the future of the highly ambitious project if the parliament rejects the bill.