NEW DELHI: As India completes a year of its G20 Presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a column, said that achieving the extraordinary, New Delhi revitalised multilateralism and amplified the Global South’s voice.
“I am delighted that during our Presidency, India achieved the extraordinary: It revitalised multilateralism, amplified the voice of the Global South, championed development, and fought for the empowerment of women everywhere,” PM Modi said.
In the column, PM Modi highlighted that India sought to offer the world an alternative to the status quo—a shift from GDP-centric to human-centric progress as the G20 chair. “India aimed to remind the world of what unites us rather than what divides us. Finally, the global conversation had to evolve; the interests of the few had to give way to the aspirations of the many. This required a fundamental reform of multilateralism as we knew it,” he said.
The Prime Minister further noted that India, as the G20 President, defined its approach by being inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and decisive. “Inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and decisive–these four words define our approach as G20 president, and the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), unanimously adopted by all G20 members, is testimony to our commitment to deliver on these principles. Inclusivity has been at the heart of our presidency,” PM Modi wrote.
“The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80 per cent of the global population. This proactive stance has fostered a more comprehensive dialogue on global challenges and opportunities,” he added.
India delivered the G20 2023 Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking a cross-cutting, action-oriented approach to interconnected issues, including health, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
“A key area driving this progress is robust digital public infrastructure (DPI). Here, India was decisive in its recommendations, having witnessed the revolutionary impact of digital innovations like Aadhaar, UPI, and Digilocker firsthand. Through the G20, we completed the Digital Public Infrastructure Repository, a significant stride in global technological collaboration. This repository, featuring over 50 DPIs from 16 countries, will help the Global South build, adopt, and scale DPIs to unlock the power of inclusive growth,” PM Modi said in his column.
“For our One Earth, we introduced ambitious and inclusive aims to create urgent, lasting, and equitable change. The Declaration’s “Green DevelopmentPact” addresses the challenges of choosing between combating hunger and protecting the planet, by outlining a comprehensive roadmap where employment and ecosystems are complimentary, consumption is climate-conscious, and production is planet-friendly,” he said.
Adding further, he said that the G20 declaration called for ambitious tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
“Coupled with the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance and a concerted push for Green Hydrogen, the G20’s ambition to build a cleaner, greener world is undeniable. This has always been India’s ethos, and through Lifestyles for Sustainable Development (LiFE), the world can benefit from our age-old sustainable traditions,” he added.
Further, the Declaration underscores our commitment to climate justice and equity, urging substantial financial and technological support from the Global North. For the first time, there was a recognition of the quantum jump needed in the magnitude of development financing, moving from billions to trillions of dollars.
“The G20 acknowledged that developing countries require USD 5.9 trillion to fulfil their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030. Given the monumental resources required, the G20 emphasised the importance of better, larger, and more effective multilateral development banks. Concurrently, India is taking a leading role in UN reforms, especially in the restructuring of principal organs like the UN Security Council, that will ensure a more equitable global order,” PM Modi wrote.
Moreover, gender equality took centre stage in the Declaration, culminating in the formation of a dedicated Working Group on the Empowerment of Women next year. India’s Women’s Reservation Bill 2023, reserving one-third of India’s Parliament and state legislative assembly seats for women, epitomised commitment to women-led development.
The New Delhi Declaration showcased a renewed spirit of collaboration across these key priorities, focusing on policy coherence, reliable trade, and ambitious climate action.
“It is a matter of pride that during our presidency, the G20 achieved 87 outcomes and 18 adopted documents, a marked rise from the past,” PM Modi wrote, adding “During our G20 presidency, India led deliberations on geopolitical issues and their impact on economic growth and development. Terrorism and the senseless killing of civilians are unacceptable, and we must address it with a policy of zero tolerance. We must embody humanitarianism over hostility and reiterate that this is not an era of war,” he concluded. (ANI)