New Delhi: The year-long countdown to the much-awaited and prestigious G-20 summit to be hosted by India has begun, with New Delhi on Tuesday announcing that it would be held on September 9 and 10 next year. India will also assume the presidency of the G-20 for one year from December 1 this year till November 30 next year, during when it is expected to host over 200 G-20 meetings across the country starting from December this year.
New Delhi also announced that “India, as G-20 presidency, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as guest nations, as well as the ISA (International Solar Alliance), CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and ADB (Asian Development Bank) as guest international organizations”. This will be “in addition to the regular IOs (UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO, WTO, ILO, FSB and OECD) and the chairs of regional organisations -- African Union, AUDA-NEPAD (both Africa-related) and Asean”.
The G-20, or Group of Twenty, is an “inter-governmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies and comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA) and the European Union (EU)”. Collectively, the G-20 “accounts for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the world’s population, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation”.
“The G-20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of heads of state/government is scheduled to be held on 9 and 10 September 2023 in New Delhi… Whilst our G-20 priorities are in the process of being firmed up, ongoing conversations inter alia revolve around inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment); women’s empowerment; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism; climate financing; circular economy; global food security; energy security; green hydrogen; disaster risk reduction and resilience; developmental cooperation; fight against economic crime; and multilateral reforms,” the MEA said.
It also said: “India is currently part of the G-20 troika (current, previous and incoming G-20 presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India. During our presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil will form the troika. This will be the first time when the troika would consist of three developing countries and emerging economies, providing them a greater voice.”
