Context

• November 30 marks the completion of one year since India assumed the G20 presidency.
• On this occasion, it is time to reflect, recommit, and rejuvenate the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam; One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Significant Challenges When India Assumed G20 Presidency

• Multifaceted Global Challenges
  • When India undertook the G20 presidency, the global landscape grappled with multifaceted challenges, including the difficult recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • There were looming climate threats, financial instability, and the distressing debt situation in developing nations.
• Declining Multilateralism: At the time India assumed the G20 presidency, there was a noticeable decline in multilateralism, reflecting a diminishing trend in collaborative international efforts.
• Conflicts and Competition: Conflicts and heightened competition among nations further complicated the global scenario, adding layers of complexity to addressing shared challenges.
• Impaired Development Cooperation: The adverse effects of conflicts and competition revealed in impaired development cooperation, hindering progress on a global scale.

How Did India Navigate These Challenges as the G20 Chair?

• Provided an Alternative to Status Quo: Focus on Human Centric Approach
  • As the G20 chair, India tried to offer the world an alternative to the status quo, a shift from a GDP-centric to human-centric progress.
  • India aimed to remind the world of what unites us, rather than what divides us.
• Focused on Multilateralism
  • With time, the global conversation must evolve, the interests of the few has to give way to the aspirations of the many.
  • This requires a fundamental reform of multilateralism and India took this responsibility as the G20 chair.
• Employed An Inclusive, Ambitious, Action Oriented and Decisive Approach
  • Inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive, these four words defined India’s approach as G20 president.
  • And the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), unanimously adopted by all G20 members, is testimony to India’s commitment to deliver on these principles.

Significant Features of India’s G20 Presidency

• Inclusion of African Union as a Full G20 Member
  • Inclusivity has been one of the core principles of India presidency.
  • The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80 per cent of the global population.
  • This proactive stance has fostered a more comprehensive dialogue on global challenges and opportunities.
• Voice of the Global South Summit
  • The first-of-its-kind Voice of the Global South Summit, convened by India in two editions, indicated a new dawn for multilateralism.
  • India mainstreamed the Global South’s concerns in the international discourse and has ushered in an era where developing countries take their rightful place in shaping the global narrative.
• People’s Presidency and International Attention
  • Inclusivity also featured in India’s domestic approach to G20, making it a People’s Presidency that befits the world’s largest democracy.
  • Through Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation) events, the G20 reached 1.4 billion citizens, involving all states and Union Territories (UTs) as partners.
  • And on substantive elements, India ensured that international attention was directed to broader developmental aims, aligning with the G20’s mandate.
• G20 2023 Action Plan on SDGs
  • At the critical midpoint of the 2030 agenda, India delivered the G20 2023 Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • As G20 chair India emphasised on taking a cross-cutting, action-oriented approach to interconnected issues, including health, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
• Recommendations on DPI for Inclusive Growth
  • India was decisive in its recommendations on digital public infrastructure (DPI), after implementing the revolutionary digital innovations like Aadhaar, UPI, and Digilocker first-hand.
  • Through the G20, India successfully completed the Digital Public Infrastructure Repository, a significant stride in global technological collaboration.
  • This repository, featuring over 50 DPIs from 16 countries, will help the Global South build, adopt, and scale DPI to unlock the power of inclusive growth.
• Adoption of Green Development Pact
  • India introduced ambitious and inclusive aims to create urgent, lasting, and equitable change.
  • The Declaration’s Green Development Pact addresses the challenges of choosing between combating hunger and protecting the planet.
    • It outlines a comprehensive roadmap where employment and ecosystems are complimentary, consumption is climate-conscious, and production is planet-friendly.
  • In tandem, the G20 Declaration calls for an ambitious tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
  • Coupled with the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance and a concerted push for Green Hydrogen, the G20’s ambitions to build a cleaner, greener world are undeniable.
  • This has always been India’s ethos, and through Lifestyles for Sustainable Development (LiFE), the world can benefit from India’s age-old sustainable traditions.
• Deliberation on Climate Financing
  • The New Delhi Declaration underscores India’s commitment to climate justice and equity, urging substantial financial and technological support from the Global North.
  • For the first time, there was a recognition of the quantum jump needed in the magnitude of development financing, moving from billions to trillions of dollars.
  • The G20 acknowledged that developing countries require $5.9 trillion to fulfil their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030.
• Discussions on Setting Up Effective Multilateral Development Banks
  • Given the monumental resources required for climate financing, the G20 emphasised the importance of better, larger, and more effective Multilateral Development Banks.
  • Concurrently, India is taking a leading role in UN reforms, especially in the restructuring of principal organs like the UN Security Council, that will ensure a more equitable global order.
• Gender Equality Talks and Formation of a Dedicated Working Group
  • Gender equality took centre stage in the Declaration, culminating in the formation of a dedicated Working Group on the Empowerment of Women next year.
  • India’s Women’s Reservation Bill 2023, reserving one-third of India’s Parliament and state legislative assembly seats for women, epitomises India’s commitment to women-led development.
• Deliberations on Geopolitical Issues
  • During India’s G20 presidency, India led deliberations on geopolitical issues and their impact on economic growth and development.
  • Terrorism and the senseless killing of civilians are unacceptable, and the world must address them with a policy of zero tolerance.
  • The world must embody humanitarianism over hostility and reiterate that this is not an era of war.
• Unanimous Adoption of New Delhi Declaration
  • The New Delhi Declaration embodies a renewed spirit of collaboration across these key priorities, focusing on policy coherence, reliable trade, and ambitious climate action.
  • It is remarkable that during India’s presidency, G20 achieved 87 outcomes and 118 adopted documents, a marked rise from the past.

Conclusion

• During India’s presidency, India achieved the extraordinary, it revitalised multilateralism, amplified the voice of the Global South, championed development, and fought for the empowerment of women everywhere.
• After a year India hands over the G20 presidency to Brazil with the conviction that India’s collective steps for people, planet, peace, and prosperity, will resonate for years to come.