Presiding over the G20 from December 1, 2022, is a “historic opportunity” for India, and the country seeks to draw the contours of its presidency together with its friends from the “global South” that have been walking with it for decades on the path of progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.
“India’s G20 presidency is coming at a time of crisis and chaos in the world. The world is going through the after-effects of a disruptive once-in-a-century pandemic, conflicts, and a lot of economic uncertainty. The symbol of the lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope in these times,” Modi stated on Tuesday, unveiling the logo, theme, and website of India’s G-20 presidency.
Modi said that India is close to the developed countries and also understands the viewpoint of the developing world, which would be helpful during the presidency and in contributing to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance.
Formal announcement
The PM said that he would be heading to Indonesia next week for the formal announcement of India’s G-20 presidency and urged all the States and State governments of India to further their roles in this regard as much as possible.
Highlighting that the G20 was not solely an event of the Central government, the Prime Minister requested that the State governments, as well as all the political parties, actively take part in this endeavour.
“The world today needs shared knowledge that helps us overcome our circumstances and shared prosperity that reaches the last person at the last mile,” he said.
The G20, which includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the EU, is the premier forum for international economic co-operation, representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the worldwide trade, and about two-thirds of the world population, Modi noted.
The PM expressed happiness over the growing interest and activities about the G-20 and related events.
Many of India’s achievements can be used by other countries around the world, Modi noted. “The use of digital technology in development, inclusion, removal of corruption, and improving the ease of doing business and living can be templates for many countries. The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s women empowerment, women-led development, and financial inclusion through the Jan Dhan Account, which will reach the world through the opportunity of the G-20 presidency,” according to an official release.