French Ambassador calls for cooperation in climate change, culture, education, and innovation with India

Her visit highlighted the strong partnership between India and France, with plans for continued cooperation in areas such as climate change, culture, education, and innovation.

Grillo visited India from May 14-16 to strengthen Indo-French cooperation. During her visit, she co-chaired the Governing Council meeting of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) alongside Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, according to an official press release.

Grillo emphasised the importance of building resilient infrastructure to combat climate change

"France is proud to have co-chaired the CDRI since 2024. Climate change is a reality all over the world. If we build ill-adapted infrastructure today, we are putting our future at risk. France is continuing its commitment to global action by hosting the CDRI's international conference on 6th and 7th June, on the side-lines of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) being held in Nice, France," Grillo stated during the CDRI meeting.

Established at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, the CDRI is a multilateral platform bringing together governments, UN bodies, financial institutions, private sector actors, and research organisations to enhance resilience across key infrastructure sectors, including energy, transport, housing, health, and water. Headquartered in New Delhi, the coalition is currently co-chaired by India and France for the 2024-2026 term.

The French Ambassador visited the French Institute in India, Lycee Francais International de Delhi, and Alliance Francaise de Delhi, highlighting Indo-French synergies.

She also interacted with participants of the "We are the Ocean" festival, an initiative co-organised by the French Institute, the Alliance Francaise, and the French Development Agency in the lead-up to UNOC-3. The festival aims to spark dialogue on sustainability, ocean conservation, and cross-border innovation.

Grillo held high-level bilateral meetings with Indian officials, including Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog; Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs; Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa to the Prime Minister; and Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture to discuss bilateral cooperation in global governance, climate, culture, education, and energy transition and preparations for the India-France Year of Innovation in 2026.

The dialogue also touched on key multilateral priorities, including the upcoming multilateral agenda, including the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, COP30 in Belem, and the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, alongside France's upcoming G7 Presidency in 2026.

Grillo also co-chaired the Indo-French steering committee for the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum project with Vivek Aggarwal.

It aims to transform the historic North and South Blocks of New Delhi into a world-class museum retracing 5,000 years of Indian history, with a surface area of 155,000 square metres.

France, invited to lend its expertise drawn from renowned projects such as the Grand Louvre, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Grand Palais, is supporting the initiative through a comprehensive feasibility study conducted by France Museums Developpement (FMD), set to continue through 2025, added the release.

Grillo concluded her visit by delivering the keynote address at France Alumni Day 2025 in Delhi, which marked the third edition of the initiative in India. The event brought together Indian alumni of French institutions and representatives from French businesses operating in the country.

This year's edition focused on women's employment and leadership, providing a platform for alumni working in this space to share insights and promote best practices to support gender equity in professional settings.