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OPINION                                                            DECEMBER 08, 2023  |      The Indian Eye                     8


                       Towards a Brighter Tomorrow:




           India’s G20 Presidency and the Dawn




                                 of a New Multilateralism





        BY NARENDRA MODI
                                                                                                              their Nationally Determined Contri-
                                                                                                              butions (NDCs) by 2030.
              oday (November 30, 2023)                                                                            Given the monumental resourc-
              marks 365 days since India as-
        Tsumed the G20 Presidency. It                                                                         es required, G20 emphasised the im-
                                                                                                              portance of better, larger, and more
        is a moment to reflect, recommit, and                                                                 effective  Multilateral  Development
        rejuvenate the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva                                                                  Banks. Concurrently, India is taking
        Kutumbakam, ‘One Earth, One Fam-                                                                      a leading role in UN reforms, espe-
        ily, One Future.’                                                                                     cially in the restructuring of principal
            As we undertook this responsi-
        bility last year, the global landscape                                                                organs like the UN Security Coun-
                                                                                                              cil, that will ensure a more equitable
        grappled with multifaceted chal-                                                                      global order.
        lenges: recovery from the Covid-19                                                                        Gender  equality  took  centre
        pandemic, looming climate threats,                                                                    stage in the Declaration, culminating
        financial instability, and debt distress                                                              in the formation of a dedicated Work-
        in developing nations, all amid de-                                                                   ing Group on the Empowerment of
        clining multilateralism. In the midst                                                                 Women next year. India’s Women’s
        of  conflicts  and  competition,  devel-                                                              Reservation Bill 2023, reserving one-
        opment cooperation suffered, im-  and has ushered in an era where de-  build, adopt, and scale DPI to unlock   third of India’s Parliament and state
        peding progress.                  veloping countries take their rightful   the power of inclusive growth.  legislative assembly seats for women
            Assuming the G20 Chair, In-   place in shaping the global narrative.  For our One Earth, we intro-
        dia sought to offer the world an al-  Inclusivity also infused India’s   duced ambitious and inclusive aims   epitomizes our commitment to wom-
                                                                                                              en-led development.
        ternative to status quo, a shift from   domestic approach to G20, making it   to create urgent, lasting, and eq-  The New Delhi Declaration em-
        a GDP-centric to human-centric    a People’s Presidency that befits that   uitable change. The Declaration’s   bodies a renewed spirit of collabora-
        progress. India aimed to remind the   world’s largest democracy. Through   ‘Green Development Pact’ addresses   tion across these key priorities, fo-
        world of what unites us, rather than   “Jan Bhagidari” (people’s partici-  the challenges of choosing between   cusing on policy coherence, reliable
        what divides us. Finally, the global   pation) events, G20 reached 1.4 bil-  combating hunger and protecting   trade, and ambitious climate action.
        conversation had to evolve - the in-  lion citizens, involving all states and   the planet, by outlining a compre-  It is a matter of pride that during our
        terests of the few had to give way to   Union Territories (UTs) as partners.   hensive roadmap where employment   Presidency, G20 achieved 87 out-
        the aspirations of the many. This re-  And on substantive elements, India   and ecosystems are complimentary,   comes and 118 adopted documents,
        quired a fundamental reform of mul-  ensured that international attention   consumption is climate conscious,   a marked rise from the past.
        tilateralism as we knew it.       was directed to broader developmen-  and production is planet-friendly. In   During our G20 Presidency, In-
            Inclusive, ambitious, action-ori-  tal aims, aligning with G20’s mandate.  tandem, the G20 Declaration calls
        ented, and decisive—these four        At the critical midpoint of the   for an ambitious tripling of global   dia led deliberations on geopolitical
                                                                                                              issues and their impact on economic
        words defined our approach as G20   2030 Agenda, India delivered the   renewable energy capacity by 2030.   growth and development. Terrorism
        president, and the New Delhi Lead-  G20 2023 Action Plan to Accel-  Coupled with the establishment of   and the senseless killing of civilians is
        ers’ Declaration (NDLD), unani-   erate Progress on the Sustainable   the Global Biofuels Alliance and a   unacceptable, and we  must  address
        mously adopted by all G20 members,   Development Goals (SDGs), tak-  concerted push for Green Hydrogen,   it with a policy of zero-tolerance. We
        is testimony to our commitment to   ing a cross-cutting, action-oriented   the G20’s ambitions to build a clean-  must embody humanitarianism over
        deliver on these principles.      approach to interconnected issues,   er, greener world is undeniable. This   hostility and reiterate that this is not
            Inclusivity has been at the heart   including health, education, gender   has always been India’s ethos, and
        of our presidency. The inclusion of   equality and environmental sustain-  through Lifestyles for Sustainable   an era of war.
                                                                                                                  I am delighted that during our
        the African Union (AU) as a perma-  ability.                        Development (LiFE), the world can   Presidency India achieved the ex-
        nent member of the G20 integrated     A key area driving this progress   benefit from our age-old sustainable   traordinary: it revitalised multilat-
        55 African nations into the forum,   is robust Digital Public Infrastructure   traditions.            eralism,  amplified  the  voice  of  the
        expanding it to encompass 80% of   (DPI). Here, India was decisive in its   Further, the Declaration under-  Global South, championed develop-
        the global population. This proactive   recommendations, having witnessed   scores our commitment to climate   ment, and fought for the empower-
        stance has fostered a more compre-  the revolutionary impact of digital   justice and equity, urging substantial   ment of women, everywhere.
        hensive dialogue on global challeng-  innovations like Aadhaar, UPI, and   financial  and  technological  support   As we hand over the G20 Pres-
        es and opportunities.             Digilocker first-hand. Through G20,   from the Global North. For the first   idency to Brazil, we do so with the
            The  first-of-its-kind  ‘Voice  of   we successfully completed the Digi-  time, there was a recognition of the
        the Global South Summit,’ convened   tal Public Infrastructure Repository,   quantum jump needed in the magni-  conviction that our collective steps
                                                                                                              for people, planet, peace, and pros-
        by India in two editions, heralded a   a significant stride in global techno-  tude of development financing, mov-  perity, will resonate for years to come.
        new dawn  of multilateralism.  India   logical collaboration. This reposito-  ing from billions to trillions of dollars.
        mainstreamed the Global South’s   ry, featuring over 50 DPIs from 16   G20 acknowledged that developing        Narendra Modi is
        concerns in international discourse   countries, will help the Global South   countries require $5.9 trillion to fulfil   the Prime Minister of India


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