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Current Affairs 2023

India Returns G-20 to its Core Agenda of Global Growth and Development

India, under the leadership of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, has successfully returned the G-20 back to its original agenda of global growth and development. This article highlights the efforts of India to achieve this and the issues discussed at the G-20 meetings.

Mar 30, 2023

3 min read

India has successfully returned the G-20 back to its original agenda of global growth and development, a year after the organization was seen grappling with the Ukraine conflict. This was made possible by the hard work of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian government, who made sure that the G-20 was not used as the primary forum to debate international peace and security.

 

At the 'Rising India Summit' of the Network18 Group, Mr. Jaishankar said that India would want the G-20 to return to matters concerning roughly 200 countries of the world. Issues such as international peace and security do matter, but there are serious issues such as food and energy security, green financing for nations to worry about. India was able to introduce something novel to the G-20 to look at - Global Skills Mapping. This is a way to identify where skills are in the world and where the demand is, and then figure out how to put them together. 

 

The G-20 Finance Ministers Meeting and the Foreign Ministers Meeting saw an agreement of 95% issues, which is a testament to India's efforts in getting the G-20 back on track. India has also become the "voice of the Global South" and has achieved the G-20 presidency, bringing something new to the organisation. The recent appointment of Eric Garcetti as the U.S. Ambassador to India and reports about his views on human rights was also addressed by Mr. Jaishankar. He said that they would explain the situation with love and respect. India has shown its commitment to global growth and development and will continue to do so in the future.

 

About G20

 

The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an international forum consisting of 19 countries and the European Union. It was established in 1999 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in response to the financial crises of the late 1990s. Since then, the G20 has evolved into a major forum for international economic cooperation, bringing together leaders from the world's largest economies to discuss and coordinate on issues related to global economic growth, trade, financial stability, and other key issues.

 

The 19 member countries of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union is also a member of the G20, represented by the European Council and the European Central Bank.

 

The G20 holds an annual summit where leaders of member countries gather to discuss and coordinate on global economic issues. The G20 also holds regular meetings of finance ministers, central bank governors, and other officials throughout the year to discuss and coordinate on economic policy issues. The G20 plays a critical role in shaping global economic policies and promoting international economic cooperation.

 

Image : Dr. S. Jaishankar/Twitter

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