India takes over Presidency of the G20 countries
Food security and environmental concerns will take precedence as India assumed the G-20 presidency in December. As an emerging economy, India has prioritised achieving food security and environmental goals for the benefit of the global family.
As a result, the G20 summit, which began on November 14 in Bali, Indonesia, has special significance for India, which assumed the Presidency on December 1, 2022, for a one-year period in anticipation of hosting the next summit.
The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, representing around 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. During the course of its G20 Presidency, India will be holding about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across the country. The G20 Summit to be held next year will be one of the most high-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India.
India will hold over 200 G20-related meetings across the country during its presidency of the grouping, which will begin on December 1, 2022, and continue until November 30, 2023. The G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 of 2023, and Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the UAE will be the “guest countries” at the event.
Food security and environment issues took precedence over other subjects on the list of India’s priorities, part of a broader agenda of ensuring, as Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra put it ahead of the summit, “a greater voice for the global south in issues of international economic cooperation and the need for reformed 21st century institutions.”
On Tuesday, November 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended two working sessions on food and energy security and the “Health Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment,” followed by a dinner for all G20 leaders.
The bilateral meetings that were held on the sidelines before the departure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Bali also bore much importance.
Speaking to the Hindu on the eve of the summit, Ambassador Ina Krisnamurthi said Indonesia is encouraging all G20 leaders to meet and resolve issues at the upcoming summit in Bali. Indonesia and India have been working closely together on developing the G20 agenda for the “Global”.
The G20 forum of the world’s largest economies will be steered by emerging economies for the near future: Indonesia this year, India in 2023, and Brazil in 2024.
Meanwhile, during a recent visit to Moscow, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Russia is India’s “steady and time-tested partner” and defended the 20-fold increase in India’s oil imports from Russia this year.
Meanwhile, India and other developing countries blocked an attempt by rich nations to focus on all 20 top emitters of carbon dioxide during discussions on the “Mitigation Work Programme” at the ongoing U.N. COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
During the first week of the climate talks, developed countries desired that all of the top 20 emitters, including India and China, discuss intense emission cuts and not just the rich nations, which are historically responsible for climate change. India pushed back the attempt with the support of like-minded developing countries, including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
After the ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015, the focus is now on voluntary national actions to drive down greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in average global temperature.
“Greenwashing” is a communication and marketing strategy adopted by companies or other organizations. It consists of putting forward ecological arguments in order to forge an ecologically responsible image among the public.
It is a term used to describe a false, misleading, or untrue action or set of claims made by an organisation about the positive impact that a company, product, or service has on the environment.
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden reviewed the state of the India-US strategic partnership on the sidelines of the Bali summit, including critical and emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders also discussed topical global and regional developments in their meeting, which took place on the margins of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Reports said that the Ukraine conflict and its implications figured in the discussions. The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders expressed satisfaction about close cooperation between India and the U.S. in new groupings such as Quad and I2U2. While the Quad comprises India, the U.S., Australia, and Japan, the members of the I2U2 are the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
“Prime Minister Modi thanked President Biden for his constant support for strengthening the India-US partnership.” (www.indianews.in)