Throughout India’s Presidency, more than 200 meetings in around 60 cities across India are still being planned, making it the widest geographical spread…reports Asian Lite News
India on Monday with its inclusive and action-oriented policy processes at the heart of its agenda celebrated a key milestone of hosting its 100th meeting under its G20 Presidency with the meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) in Varanasi.
The G20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation. With more than 12,300 delegates from over 110 nations, the in-person participation in India’s G20 Presidency is the largest ever hosted by any G20 country so far.
Throughout India’s Presidency, more than 200 meetings in around 60 cities across India are still being planned, making it the widest geographical spread.
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India’s G20 presidency inclusive pan-India approach, centred on Jan Bhagidari or citizen’s engagement has so far covered over 41 cities, with around a dozen meetings held in the North Eastern part of the country. The meetings have also been successful in showcasing India’s incredible natural and architectural beauty through excursions, side events and more than 1500 cultural events with around 7000 artists performing.
The meetings include Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) in Varanasi, the second Health Working Group in Goa, the 2nd Digital Economy Working Group in Hyderabad and the Space Economy Leaders’ Precursor Meeting in Shillong which is being held on Monday.
With the first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FMCBG) in Bengaluru on February 24-25, the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) in New Delhi on March 1-3, and the second FMCBG meeting in Washington on April 12-13, three ministerial meetings have been held till date under India as G20 Chair along with the two Sherpa Meetings in Udaipur from December 4-7 December last year and Kumarakom from March 30 – April 2.
28 Foreign Ministers (from 18 G20 members, 9 guest countries and AU Chai- Comoros) and two Deputy/Vice Foreign Ministers (from Japan and the Republic of Korea) attended the FMM. These Ministerial meetings concluded with substantive outcome documents that fostered consensus on G20’s shared priorities.
These include consensus on setting up of an expert group on MDB reforms and on debt treatment in the 1st FMCBG, and on multilateral reforms, development cooperation, food and energy security, counter-terrorism, new and emerging threats, global skill mapping and disaster risk reduction in the FMM.
Showcasing India’s diversity, traditions and culture also remains an integral part of the visiting delegates’ programme. With Millet-based dishes being incorporated into the menu, a wide range of cultural performances and excursions have been organized.
The impact of India’s G20 Presidency gave a boost for Covid-hit sectors, a surge in demand for operators, guides and drivers in terms of boosting tourism, and also giving a boost to small businesses that brought global buyers at sellers’ doorstops.
India’s ongoing G20 Presidency comprise broad priority areas such as inclusive and resilient growth; progress on SDGs, green development and Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE); technological transformation and public digital infrastructure; reforming multilateral institutions; women-led development; and international peace and harmony.
India during its G20 presidency will host the largest-ever contingent of delegations in the final New Delhi Summit that will take place in September. Taking the baton from Indonesia,
India’s year-long Presidency of the grouping commenced on 1 December 2022, and would continue until 30 November 2023.
Collectively, the G20 accounts for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 pc of international trade and two-thirds of the world population, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
Over 12,000 delegates from 111 countries participated in 100 meetings
India’s G20 Presidency Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said over 12,000 delegates from 111 countries have participated in 100 G20 meetings hosted by India so far.
“We have started our hundredth meeting under our presidency. If you take the approximate number of meetings that we will cover under our presidency as 200, we have reached an approximate halfway mark in terms of the meetings we’re holding,” Shringla said. He said: “Now if you look at the 100 meetings we have held, we have had these meetings in 41 different cities across the length and breadth of our country. It covers 28 states and union territories.”
The G20 Chief Coordinator said that over 12,000 delegates have participated in these meetings. “And I think that’s a conservative figure and 111 nationalities have been represented in these meetings that we have held under our presidency. So, both in terms of geographical spread in our country, in terms of the participants within the G20, there have been some very good discussions in most of the meetings,” he said.
According to Shringla, India has made good progress on several important issues of priority. “And as we proceed further, I think we will be seeing more of the outcomes of some of these meetings. But what is important is that today, I think we can take satisfaction over the fact that organizationally and in terms of logistics, I think the meetings have proceeded very well,” he said. (ANI)
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