Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

The Path Ahead: India and G20


Thu 16 Feb 2023 | 05:03 PM
By Amitabh Kant

The presidency of G20 – a group that accounts for 85% of the world’s GDP – has always been a position of great honour and greater responsibility

G20 Sherpa, India 

Our nation has entered the “Amrit Kaal”, a period marked by our transformative journey to development and social progress. It will also set the standards for a global developmental trajectory. India, now the fifth largest economy and a leading moral force in the international community, has also taken up the G20 presidency. This has come at a time when challenges like rising inflation, geo-political tensions and climate crisis have created an urgent need for action-oriented and inclusive goals which we should achieve in an accelerated manner. The natural question, then is – what does this presidency mean for India?

       The presidency of G20 – a group that accounts for 85% of the world’s GDP – has always been a position of great honour and greater responsibility. It brings with it the chance to turn challenges into opportunities, especially in areas where national and international efforts amalgamate. For instance, India’s model of development has set the benchmark for social progress and inclusive growth globally. As the G20 presidency, India will look to emerge as a bridge – a “setu” – between the developed and developing states for enhanced cooperation. Inspired from our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s remarks at the Bali Summit, our presidency will aim to be inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented. At the core of our efforts, lies our commitment to inclusive growth and accelerating progress on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in this Decade of Action. The essence of our presidency can be found in the idea of – “One World, One Family, and One Future”, highlighting our shared priorities, the need for collective action and unified goals.

        The key priority areas for our presidency includes Mission “LiFE” (Lifestyle for Environment), financing for SDGs, green energy transitions, food security and ensuring reliable supply chains for food and energy, and digital transformation, among others.

These cross-cutting priorities hold the potential to trigger actions that would benefit people around the world. Last mile delivery of resources and services leveraging digital infrastructure can bolster inclusive recovery in a post pandemic world. In this respect, India’s digital transformation across sectors, has set a global benchmark. From tech-enabled education to unified payment systems and digital health under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, India has created an ecosystem for beneficiary identification and for transferring benefits seamlessly.

            Another key element, central to our presidency, is women-led development where we will strive to effect a paradigm shift in how the question of development and women is perceived. Women should be at the centre of development and we need to keep pushing this agenda until it becomes a norm. Reform of multilateral organisations and working towards ensuring financing for achieving SDGs are also important priorities. The constitution of a new working group on disaster risk reduction would be a unique contribution of our presidency. In this working group, we will aim to strengthen consensus over ways in which we collectively achieve disaster resilience at national and international levels.

            The G20 presidency is a unique opportunity to drive an action-oriented agenda to shape a world which is inclusive and sustainable, by building consensus for action. Our demographic strengths, our capacity for innovation and our diversity support help in our emergence as a global leader. By sharing our story of digital transformation through the G20 platform, India could pave the path to a global digital revolution. The world is closely watching as India takes on the reins of the G20 presidency to shape our ‘One Future’.