‘India’s G-20 Presidency and the dawn of a new multilateralism’
The Hindu
India’s G-20 Presidency: Inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive. India revitalised multilateralism, amplified Global South's voice, championed development, and fought for women's empowerment.
Today marks 365 days since India assumed the G-20 Presidency. It is a moment to reflect, recommit, and rejuvenate the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, ‘One earth, one family, one future’.
As we undertook this responsibility last year, the global landscape grappled with multifaceted challenges: recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, looming climate threats, financial instability, and debt distress in developing nations, all amid declining multilateralism. In the midst of conflicts and competition, development cooperation suffered, impeding progress.
Assuming the G-20 Chair, India sought to offer the world an alternative to the status quo, a shift from a GDP-centric to a human-centric progress. 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.
Inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive — these four words define our approach as the G-20 President, and the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), unanimously adopted by all G-20 members, is testimony to our commitment to deliver on these principles.
Inclusivity has been at the heart of our Presidency. The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G-20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80% of the global population. This proactive stance has fostered a more comprehensive dialogue on global challenges and opportunities.
The first-of-its-kind ‘Voice of the Global South Summit,’ convened by India in two editions, heralded a new dawn of multilateralism. India mainstreamed the Global South’s concerns in international discourse and has ushered in an era where developing countries take their rightful place in shaping the global narrative.
Inclusivity also infused India’s domestic approach to the G-20, making it a People’s Presidency that befits that world’s largest democracy. Through Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation) events, the G-20 reached 1.4 billion citizens, involving all States and Union Territories as partners. And on substantive elements, India ensured that international attention was directed to broader developmental aims, aligning with the G-20’s mandate.
The All-India level NEET examination was started a few years ago to counter complaints of corruption during the joint entrance examinations held at the State level. AIDSO had warned the authorities that the solution to the menace of corruption was not changing the examination system, but to investigate the corruption and punish the guilty.