This is G20 For We, The People

Why in News?

• For India, the G20 Presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour.
• India’s presidency has focussed on human-centric progress to ensure that the fruits of globalisation reach the last mile. 

India’s G20 Presidency 2023

• In December 2022, India took over the Presidency from Indonesia.  
• India is hosting the G20 Leaders' Summit 2023 for the first time in history, with several Heads of Delegation attending the final New Delhi Summit in September 2023.
• India is on a mission to create a shared global future with a rules-based order, peace, and just growth for all through its Amrit Kaal initiative.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The Significance of G20 Theme Under India’s Presidency

• An Inclusive Outlook
  • These two wordsVasudhaivaKutumbakam capture a deep philosophy. The phrase means the world is one family.
  • This is an all-embracing outlook that encourages us to progress as one universal family, transcending borders, languages, and ideologies.
• A Call for Human-Centric Progress
  • During India’s G20 Presidency, this philosophy has translated into a call for human-centric progress.
  • As One Earth, the world is coming together to nurture planet Earth.
  • As One Family, the whole world supports each other in the pursuit of growth and moves together towards a shared future, One Future, which is an undeniable truth in these interconnected times.

The Post Pandemic Order

• There is a growing realisation that a shift away from a GDP-centric view of the world to a human-centric view is needed.
• The world is recognising the importance of resilience and reliability in global supply chains.
• There is a collective call for boosting multilateralism through the reform of global institutions.

India’s Role as a Catalyst in These Shifts Through Its G20 Presidency

• Call for a Shift in the Mindset
  • In December 2022, when India took over the Presidency from Indonesia, the PM of India emphasised that a mindset shift must be catalysed by the G20.
  • This was especially needed in the context of mainstreaming the marginalised aspirations of developing countries, the Global South and Africa.
• India Raised the Voice of the Global South
  • The Voice of Global South Summit, which witnessed participation from 125 countries, was one of the foremost initiatives under India’s Presidency.
  • It was an important exercise to gather inputs and ideas from the Global South.
  • Further, India’s Presidency has not only seen the largest-ever participation from African countries but has also pushed for the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.
• Formulation of the G20 2023 Action Plan on Accelerating Progress on SDGs
  • Today the world is interconnected which means the challenges across domains are interlinked.
  • This is the midway year of the 2030 Agenda and there are concerns that the progress on SDGs is off-track.
  • The G20 2023 Action Plan on Accelerating Progress on SDGs will spearhead the future direction of the G20 towards implementing SDGs.
• Call for a Comprehensive Climate Financing Mechanism
  • Many countries of the Global South are at various stages of development and climate action must be a complementary pursuit.
  • Ambitions for climate action must be matched with actions on climate financing mechanism.
• Emphasis on Moving Away from Restrictive to Constructive Attitude on Climate Action
  • India under G20 Presidency emphasised that there is a need to move away from a purely restrictive attitude of what should not be done, to a more constructive attitude focusing on what can be done to fight climate change.
  • For example, the Chennai HLPs (High Level Principles) for a Sustainable and Resilient Blue Economy focus on keeping oceans healthy.
• Democratising Climate Action
  • Democratising climate action is the best way to impart momentum to the movement.
  • Just as individuals make daily decisions based on their long-term health, they can make lifestyle decisions based on the impact on the planet’s long-term health.
  • Just like Yoga became a global mass movement for wellness, India has also nudged the world with Lifestyles for Sustainable Environment (LiFE).
• Ensuring Food Security for All by Promoting Millets
  • Due to the impact of climate change, ensuring food and nutritional security will be crucial. Millets or Shree Annacan help with this while also boosting climate-smart agriculture.
  • In the International Year of Millets (2023), India has taken millets to global palates.
  • The Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition is also helpful in this direction.
• Call for Sharing Technological Advancements
  • Technology is transformative but it also needs to be made inclusive. In the past, the benefits of technological advancements have not benefited all sections of society equally.
  • India, over the last few years, has shownhow technology can be leveraged to narrow inequalities, rather than widen them.
  • For instance, the billions across the world that remain unbanked or lack digital identities, can be financially included through digital public infrastructure (DPI).
  • The solutions India has built using DPI have now been recognised globally.
  • Now, through the G20, India will help developing countries adapt, build, and scale DPI to unlock the power of inclusive growth.
  • Bridging Gender Digital Divide and Women-Led Development: India’s G20 Presidency is also working on bridging the gender digital divide, reducing labour force participation gaps, and enabling a larger role for women in leadership and decision-making.

India’s Development Story: A Message for the World Through G20

• Simple, Scalable and Sustainable Solutions
  • India is the fastest-growing large economy is no accident. Simple, scalable, and sustainable solutions have empowered the vulnerable and the marginalised to lead India’s development story.
  • From space to sports, economy to entrepreneurship, Indian women have taken the lead in various sectors.
  • They have shifted the narrative from the development of women to women-led development. 
• Accomplishing Things at Scale
  • Today, accomplishing things at scale is a quality that is associated with India. The G20 Presidency is no exception. It has become a people-driven movement.
  • Over 200 meetings will have been organised in 60 Indian cities across the length and breadth of the nation, hosting nearly 1,00,000 delegates from 125 countries by the end of its term.
• No Presidency has ever encompassed such a vast and diverse geographical expanse.
  • For India, the G20 Presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour.
  • As the mother of Democracy and a model of diversity, India opened the doors of this experience to the world.

Conclusion

• India’s G20 Presidency strives to bridge divides, dismantle barriers, and sow seeds of collaboration that nourish a world where unity prevails over discord and shared destiny eclipses isolation.
• As the G20 President, India had pledged to make the global table larger, ensuring that every voice is heard and every country contributes.

Q1) How do the G20 countries work together?

The most visible part of the G20 process is the summit of the heads of state and government, which is organised and prepared by the country holding the presidency. Additional meetings on finance policy issues attended by finance ministers and central bank governors are also organised under each presidency. Intensive political coordination takes place on various working levels among the governments ahead of the G20 meetings. The results of each meeting are published in a communiqué.

Q2) How are the G20’s decisions implemented?

The G20 is an informal forum. It is not an international organisation and has neither administrative structures of its own nor permanent offices for its members. While the G20’s decisions are not legally binding, the member states make voluntary commitments which carry considerable political weight. Decisions are implemented by the relevant bodies, for example the International Monetary Fund or the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

Source: The Indian Express