New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) India said on Thursday that it is looking forward to a successful and productive G20 summit in Johannesburg that will see continued focus on the Global South, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks tomorrow on a three-day visit to South Africa.
Secretary (ER) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Sudhakar Dalela, briefing reporters ahead of PM Modi’s November 21-23 visit, said the prime minister will be holding several important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
“The summit will be important for India to ensure continuity of its priorities in the G20 after having hosted a very successful presidency in 2023,” he said. Pointing out that it is for the first time that a G20 summit is happening in Africa, Secretary Dalela said, that it was under India’s G20 presidency in 2023, that the African union was included in the grouping.
“Under their overall presidency on the theme of solidarity, equality and sustainability, South Africa has identified four key priority areas for the G20 presidency – strengthened disaster resilience and response, debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilising finance for just energy transition, and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development,” the Secretary said.
He pointed out that the priorities identified by South Africa are aligned with those of India’s G20 presidency and that of Brazil’s last year, “ensuring continuity in the G20 discussions from the perspective of matters that are important to the Global South”.
At the Summit, Prime Minister Modi will put forth India’s perspectives on the G20 agenda. He is expected to speak in all the three sessions of the Summit.
These sessions are on:
i. Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind : Building our economies; the role of trade; financing for development and the debt burden
ii. A Resilient World – the G20’s Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transitions; Food Systems
iii. A Fair and a Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence
Dalela, Secretary ER, also said that the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration of 2023 has “provided a strong basis for many of the G20 outcome documents adopted this year in the various ministerial tracks. The Indian flagship priorities, such as digital public infrastructure, women-led development, action plan to accelerate progress on SDGs as well as key outcomes of the working groups from last year, including the disaster risk-reduction working group and the empowerment of women working group initiated by India, have found strong resonance in the South African presidency.”
He said the Johannesburg summit will also conclude the successful holding of the presidency by four emerging economies – Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa, which has helped bring sharper focus on matters impacting the Global South.
“We look forward to a successful and productive G20 summit in Johannesburg,” he noted.
On the margins of G20, the PM will also be participating in IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) leaders meeting as well as hold bilateral meetings with several leaders who will be present in Johannesburg.
Earlier, in his remarks, the Secretary said that the G20 has emerged as a premium forum for international economic cooperation, as well as for discussing matters of global significance.
“G20 provides an excellent opportunity for the leaders of these large and emerging economies, representing over 85% of global GDP and around three-quarters of the world population, to come together and discuss important issues impacting the world. These include important matters such as accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, reform of global institutions of governance, tackling environmental and climate challenge, debt sustainability, bridging the digital divide, energy transition, emerging technologies — underscoring the importance of international coordination and cooperation in addressing contemporary global challenges.”
