The global community must work together for a paradigm shift and put people first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of India’s G20 presidency on Thursday. The global supply of food, fertilizer and medical products must be “depoliticized” so that geopolitical tensions do not lead to humanitarian crises.
India wants to promote a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle. According to Modi, the “most powerful countries” should be encouraged to have “honest conversations” about reducing the risks of weapons of mass destruction and increasing global security. Representatives from the global South, “whose voices often go unheard”, would also be involved in G20 talks.
India officially took over the G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1. According to Modi, India’s G20 agenda will be “inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and determined”. The motto is: “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. Modi stressed that there is now the means to produce enough to meet the basic needs of everyone in the world. “Our time need not be marked by war. Actually, it shouldn’t be like that,” the Prime Minister of India stressed. The biggest challenges – climate change, terrorism and pandemics – can only be solved by acting together.
The G20 includes the European Union and the strongest economies of all continents: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, France, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the US. According to the group, it generates more than 80 percent of global gross domestic product, 75 percent of world trade and accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s population. The upcoming G20 summit will take place on September 9-10 in New Delhi.
(SDA)