Inclusive, resilient growth focus of India’s G20 priorities: S Jaishankar

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) India’s priorities for its G20 Presidency are to ensure inclusive and resilient growth with a focus on challenges being faced by the countries of the Global South, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar also listed technological transformation and public digital infrastructure, reform in the multilateral institutions, women-led development and international peace and harmony as key focus areas for India’s presidency of the grouping.

India assumed the presidency of the influential bloc G20 at its annual summit in Bali in November with a promise of striving to ensure that the grouping acts as a global prime mover to envision new ideas and accelerate collective action to deal with pressing challenges.

India is hosting a series of events and meetings ahead of the G20 summit later this year.

“India’s G20 Presidency priorities are inclusive and pragmatic, with broad areas of substantive deliberations comprising inclusive and resilient growth, progress on SDGs, green development and lifestyle for environment, technological transformation and public digital infrastructure, reforming multilateral institutions, women-led development, and international peace and harmony,” Jaishankar said.

“It is our endeavour that inputs generated from the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ receive cognisance globally, including in G20 deliberations,” he said.

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity in the world.

India officially assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1. India’s G20 Presidency has the largest-ever representation from Africa with six participants, Jaishankar said.

He said in addition to South Africa, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Chair of African Union and Chair of AUDA-NEPAD have been invited to participate in G20 meetings and the summit.

South Africa is a member of the G20.

The African Union (AU) is an influential grouping consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent.

The AUDA-NEPAD was established in 2010 to integrate the then New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) into African Union (AU) structures and processes.

Jaishankar said India has always been a voice of the Global South, including for the “African friends and partners”.

On January 12 and 13, India hosted the Voice of the Global South Summit in the virtual format with a focus on charting a new path of greater collaboration towards realisation of the priorities of developing countries.

“India has always been a voice of the Global South, including for our African friends and partners,” Jaishankar said.

“While all decisions of the G20, including on its membership, are taken by G20 members by consensus, India will continue to seek fair and balanced representation of developing countries in various multilateral fora,” he added.