India will also focus on accelerating progress in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by raising the profile of development issues across the G20’s working streams…reports Asian Lite News
As India prepares for a meeting under its G20 presidency that will be crucial to securing the interests of developing countries, officials are taking heart from the country’s ability to act as a bridge at a time of divisions within the grouping of the world’s largest economies.
The first meeting of the development working group, to be held in Mumbai from December 13-16, will be used by India to bring to the fore issues that are relevant to developing countries.
The group is part of the G20’s sherpa track and was one of the first working groups to be created in 2010. It has also been behind some notable deliverables over the years.
As officials prepare for the upcoming meeting, they have been buoyed by the fact that despite geopolitical tensions, all sherpas and heads of delegations, including those of the G7, Russia and China, participated in person at all the meetings and side events held in Udaipur as part of the first sherpas meeting held from December 4-7.
After months of deadlock during Indonesia’s G20 presidency, a joint communique was adopted at the G20 Summit in Bali last month, but differences still remained, the people noted.
Keeping with the Indian leadership’s pledge to act as a voice for the developing nations at the G20, the country will call for an enhanced role for the Global South in global decision-making during the development working group’s discussions.
During India’s G20 presidency, the development working group will highlight the need to increase the profile of developing nations in international bodies as part of reformed multilateralism to address contemporary challenges, the people added.
India will also focus on accelerating progress in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by raising the profile of development issues across the G20’s working streams. Financing is key to achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and developing countries face many bottlenecks in this area.
The Covid-19 pandemic severely hampered efforts by countries to meet SDG targets by 2030 by restricting fiscal space, and the SDG financing gap in developing countries is estimated to have increased by 20%.
The development working group has overseen the G20’s development agenda since its inception in 2010. It has also steered the alignment of this development agenda with the SDGs. Besides working on energy and food security, climate change and global health emergencies, the group has dealt with issues such as quality infrastructure and financing for sustainable development.
‘Putin likely to participation in 2023 G20 Summit’
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to participate in the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, Russia’s G20 (Sherpa) Svetlana Lukash has stated.
“I hope that, of course, [Russia’s president] will go [to the G20 Summit]. But this, in any case, is up to him to decide. Now, when the next summit is one year ahead, I cannot give an answer to such a question. The way I see it, that there are all chances for this,” Lukash told Russian state news agency TASS on Friday. Lukash recalled that the meeting of the G20 leaders in New Delhi, as the Indian organizers had announced, was scheduled for September 9-10, 2023.
Lukash said that she is hopeful that the Russian President will attend the Summit next year, however, it is up to him to take the final call, she added.
The Russian G20 Sherpa said that she is hopeful that her country nation won’t miss a single event and emphasised the significance of Russia’s attendance in order to take a stand and express its opinions.
“I hope that we will not miss a single event – be it a meeting of a working group or a seminar, or a conference. It is important for Russia to participate in any event to demonstrate its position, express its views, and see the best practices that partners from other countries have,” Lukash was quoted as saying by TASS.
The first G20 Sherpa meeting under India’s Presidency kicked off in Udaipur on December 5 where Lukash said that digital transformation and innovations are key drivers of growth and development. She further said, “Hence proposed by #G20India as cross-cutting topics at all the G20 working tracks.”
During the G20 Sherpa meeting held in Udaipur, Russian G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash lauded India and Indian Sherpa Amitabh Kant for putting ‘Women-led development’ as one of the group’s key priorities.
Taking to Twitter, Lukash said, “Grateful to #G20India and @amitabhk87 for putting ‘Women-led development’ as one of the key priorities of G20. Women are catalysers of positive transformations!”
In a series of tweets, Lukash said, “So inspired by meeting with highly professional and charming experts of #G20India Team! G20 is destined to succeed with their committed hearts and creative minds!”
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