'G20 under India's presidency has become a people's movement'

KOTTAYAM : Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India V Muraleedharan on Friday said that the G20 under India's Presidency has turned into a people's movement.

Muraleedharan was speaking on the second day of the second G20 Sherpas meeting under India's G20 Presidency at Kumarakom village of Kerala.

"We had 46 meetings across 26 countries. The biggest difference in this G20 under India's Presidency compared to the earlier G20 is that this is not an exclusive diplomatic exercise, it has become a people's movement. Amongst the various topics discussed, we have suggested and is newly added is disaster risk education, which is a major problem world is facing", Muraleedharan said.

Minister further added that "Going through the pandemic period helped in major learnings in the science and technology, including health. This is a new topic in G20. Then there are start-ups. Start-up 20 is a new engagement group in this."

On speaking about the challenges, he said, "Even before we took the Presidency, ultimately for any conflict that we face, diplomacy and dialogue is the only way forward and continue to make efforts and we are very optimistic that things will be in the positive route."

The second G20 Sherpas meeting began on March 30 with two high-level side events on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Green Development, according to the MEA press release.

Organised in partnership with NASSCOM, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), the Digital Public Infrastructure side-event kickstarted with an immersive digital experience for all G20 delegates.

India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant will also lead discussions with the G20 Troika comprising India, Indonesia and Brazil. He will meet with G20 Sherpas and heads of delegations of G20 members, invitees and international organizations, including the Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) to discuss issues pertinent to the Global South and from the Advanced Economies (AEs) on shared priorities and mutually beneficial ways forward.

The delegates will be hosted for 'Charchayum Aaharavum' (Conversations over Dinner) and cultural programmes, a mini Thrissur Pooram experience, a traditional Onam Sadhya lunch, and Chaya Vallom (Tea on Boat) among other experiences. These experiences will give the G20 delegates a unique opportunity to enjoy the rich cultural heritage and diverse cuisine of Kerala.

The MEA in the press release noted that India has selected its G20 priorities considering the diverse global challenges of the day, the concerns of developing countries and the need for greater momentum for collective action to take forward the shared international agenda, especially the development and environment agenda.

India's G20 theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - "One Earth. One Family. One Future" encapsulates the shared vision of the G20 for galvanising wide support and reaching decisive, ambitious, inclusive and action-oriented outcomes. These outcomes require the G20 to come together and act as one family to instil hope.

Ongoing deliberations during India's G20 Presidency include Green Development, Climate Finance and Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth, accelerating progress on sustainable development goals (SDGs), technological transformation and digital public infrastructure, multilateral institutions for the 21st century and women-led development.

These priorities demonstrate the needs of the Global South which were articulated by 125 participating countries at the first-ever Voice of Global South summit, according to an MEA press release. The Voice of Global South Summit was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023.

Notably, the first G20 Sherpa meeting was held in Udaipur in December. The meeting witnessed active participation by G20 Members, nine guest countries and 14 international organizations.

The first G20 Sherpa meeting had set the tone for forthcoming meetings in 32 different G20 workstreams, including the Sherpa Track, Finance Track and Engagement Groups, according to an MEA press release.

The substantive discussions on prevailing global challenges, and the warm hospitality with the motto 'Atithi Devo Bhava', resonated throughout the G20 Sherpas meeting and were highly appreciated by all delegates.