Nishant Bhaiji
NEW DELHII: The first meeting of India’s G20 presidency was initiated by Sherpa Amitabh Kant with an overview of India’s G20 priorities across 13 Working Groups, at Udaipur in Rajasthan.
At the meeting, Kant emphasised that during its year-long presidency, India will pitch for providing a greater voice to the Global South. It will utilise the opportunity to forge mutually beneficial collaborations between developing countries and advanced economies on some of the most pressing global issues, he stressed. Kant outlined the key economic challenges facing the world today and highlighted the need for collective efforts by the grouping to respond to them. “Our perspective is that we should have winwin collaboration between all of us – developing countries, Global South and advanced economies,” he said in his opening remarks at the meeting held from December 4 to 7.
G20 GALLERY
During its presidency, India’s focus is on technological transformation, green development and LiFE, women-led development, accelerating implementation of the SDGs, and facilitating inclusive and resilient growth. The Udaipur meeting and side events focused on highlighting advances made by India’s model of development and path-breaking achievements in key areas under focus during the country’s tenure as G20 President.
India has been at the forefront of adopting, implementing, and monitoring the SDGs and localising these. While there is still a long way to go, many of India’s programmatic interventions have been successful in creating impact at scale.
India’s innovative approaches, tools and experiences in areas such as digital transformation, especially ‘data for development’, just green transition, women-led development, and economic growth for Sustainable Development Goals offer a variety of successful practices and lessons learned, from which other nations can benefit. During a discussion centred around the SDGs, the panel upheld the view that the G20 platform is in a unique position to provide leadership and financial resources to work together and bring the world back on track to achieve the SDGs. The session on women-led development emphasised on the need to have women at the forefront of development. The interventions in the session drew attention to critical priorities such as reducing gender gaps, enhancing the capacity of women, promoting women in leadership roles and boosting female labour force participation. A visit to Shilpgram crafts village, arranged on the third day of the meeting, provided the first-hand experience of digital payments system to G20 participants. The delegates, with the help of volunteers, made payments using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system. The experience helped demonstrate the advances made in the field of digital banking mechanism.
The Indian side also highlighted the way the country uses innovations and technological advances like ‘digital public infrastructure’ and ‘direct benefit transfers’ to strengthen its welfare programmes. These experiences have revolutionised public welfare systems of middle-income and lower-middle income countries. With the largest biometric ID system (Aadhar), most real-time digital payments and the JAM trinity plugging gaps in financial access, the G20 presidency is an opportunity to share the country’s knowledge with the world. The year-long presidency has much more potential than being a mere economic forum. It is the ‘world’s window to India’ and viceversa. Reflected in India’s G20 theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or “One Earth One Family One Future”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a holistic vision of India’s presidency.
Amitabh Kant India’s 20 Sherpa
“This G20 Summit is not only a diplomatic event, but it is also an opportunity to showcase India’s capability to the world. Such a large country, mother of democracy, such diversity, such capability – it’s an opportunity for the world to know India and for India to show its capability to the world,” PM Modi said while addressing media persons before the start of the Winter Session of Parliament.
During the first Sherpa meeting, India has been able to highlight focal areas of discussion and stress the need to reinforce collective action. It has been a great start and a push in the right direction. The real challenge will be to maintain the momentum created at Udaipur.
