The South Asian Regional Parliamentary Forum (SARPF) for Climate, Energy and Environment is a non-partisan collective of parliamentarians and legislators committed to shaping a just, equitable, and sustainable future for South Asia. The SARPF brings together leading parliamentarians from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka to engage in substantive discussions on the region’s shared goals: climate resilience, just energy transition, and sustainable development for all. It aims to facilitate regional cooperation, political consensus, and policy dialogue to support the respective national transitions toward a climate-sustainable world.
SARPF’s aims to foreground the spirit of democracy and inclusivity in climate, energy and environmental governance by meaningfully involving elected public representatives and political actors in this space. We aspire to build capacities, facilitate dialogues, and mobilise political will amongst parliamentarians to support the ongoing sustainability transition of our economies. The forum strongly aligns with the socially just and economic framework of sustainable development. We aim to provide parliamentarians and legislators a platform to deliberate on well-being for all while meeting climate, energy and environmental goals as early as possible.
SARPF recognises the shared developmental and climate-induced challenges of vulnerability, energy security, affordability and accessibility, infrastructure gaps, and environmental degradation in the region. The Forum facilitates parliamentarians of the sovereign nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka to accelerate, strengthen and scale reforms needed to address climate challenges. We adopt a systemic outlook of regional development, adaptation, and mitigation. In essence, the SARPF seeks to become a credible voice of parliamentarians from South Asia. It aims to deepen regional integration for a sustainable and just transition and climate prosperity for the people of South Asia.
Access SARPF’s latest research, reports, and policy briefs on regional energy cooperation. Stay informed with expert insights and resources shaping South Asia’s sustainable energy future.
A senior Indian parliamentarian, medical practitioner and political leader who has represented Paschim Champaran, Bihar, in the Lok Sabha since 2009. He is a four-term Member of Parliament and currently serves as Chief Whip of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha and Chairperson of the Committee on Estimates. Trained as a physician, Dr. Jaiswal holds an MBBS from Patna Medical College and an MD in General Medicine from Darbhanga Medical College. His parliamentary career has included membership and leadership of several important committees, including the Standing Committee on Water Resources and committees dealing with health, railways, finance and other areas of public policy. He has also served as President of the BJP’s Bihar unit. With a longstanding interest in public health, development, environmental and natural-resource issues, Dr. Jaiswal has participated in national and international parliamentary engagements.
