How India reaffirmed G20 as the world's premier forum for economic cooperation

When India assumed the G20 presidency in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised an inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive presidency. In January 2023, during the Voice of the Global South Summit, he said India’s presidency would reflect the voice and concerns of the Global South. And India has delivered on those promises.

The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD) promises strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, recognising the importance of private enterprises—especially micro, small and medium enterprises and start-ups—in driving innovation and employment. The declaration, adopted with full consensus, is a joint statement to the world from the leaders of the member nations.

Policies to support trade and investment and reform the WTO are areas where the leaders have committed to concrete action. India’s G20 presidency has also delivered on both the climate and development agendas. We adopted the G20 Principles on Harnessing Data for Development, and produced an action plan to accelerate SDG progress. The G20 Deccan High-Level Principles (HLPs) on Food Security and Nutrition 2023, along with millets and other ancient grains, will help ensure global food and nutritional security. Also, we formed a Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) and focussed on climate change’s health effects.

By committing to the green development pact for a sustainable future, G20 leaders have committed to pursuing environmentally sustainable and inclusive economic growth. This is also crucial from the perspective of the Global South. We urge all nations to align their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. We have also urged countries to set economy-wide GHG reduction targets in their NDC cycles. G20 countries will also contribute to a successful conclusion of the first global stocktaking exercise at COP28, which will drive enhanced climate action. In energy transition, we have agreed to HLPs on hydrogen, collaboration on critical minerals, a global biofuels alliance, and we will pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity, among other priorities.

The NDLD drives climate action in an integrated manner, emphasising the importance of healthy ecosystems in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We have delivered a strong message about ending plastic pollution and reaffirmed the crucial role of the circular economy. Leaving India’s imprint of sustainable living on the world, we have also agreed to HLPs on Lifestyles for Sustainable Development, which will contribute to significant emission reductions by 2030.

The tragic loss of lives in Libya is a stark reminder of the impact of climate change. Considering the increased frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters globally, reducing disaster risk and building resilient infrastructure are increasingly becoming crucial. India has catalysed efforts to reduce disaster risk through the institutionalisation of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its presidency.

The NDLD calls on all the parties to set an ambitious, transparent and trackable New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of climate finance in 2024 from a floor of $100 billion, and calls for developed countries to at least double their collective provision of adaptation finance from the 2019 levels by 2025. Apart from getting assurances from developed nations that commitments on climate finance will be met and ambitions enhanced, we have also ensured that the discourse on the scale of development and climate finance shifts from billions of dollars to trillions. Key to this will be bigger, better and more effective Multilateral Development Banks. We have recognised that we require an international development finance system that is fit for purpose, including for the scale of need and depth of the shocks facing developing countries.

Informed by our experience of driving socio-economic transformation, India’s model of development is going global. We have all seen the impact digital public infrastructure (DPI) has had in India. Be it digital payments, Co-WIN, DigiLocker, or DBT, technology has reached the last mile, transforming lives. Showcasing this experience has been crucial in building a consensus on a G20 Framework for Systems of DPI, allowing countries across the world to adapt, build and scale DPI. Through the One Future Alliance, low- and middle-income countries will be assisted through capacity building and financial support to build DPIs.

Crucial to the success of the NDLD was reaching a consensus on the geopolitical situation. While recalling the language of the Bali declaration, the text of NDLD goes beyond it to make it stronger. First, we have underscored that all states must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety, and that all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state. Second, we have also highlighted the human suffering and negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth. Third, we have ensured the immediate and unimpeded deliveries of grain, foodstuff, and inputs from Russia and Ukraine, necessary in ensuring food security, especially in the developing world. In the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, we have also delivered a message of peace.

With the inclusion of the African Union as a full member of the G20, we have added the voices of 55 additional countries to G20, making it more inclusive and representative. Our presidency is the most ambitious on women-led development as well. Additionally, a new working group on women’s empowerment has been finalised during our presidency.

During this year, India has reaffirmed the G20 as the premier forum for global economic co-operation, and reinforced trust in the multilateral system. The NDLD reflects PM Modi’s clarity of vision that India’s G20 presidency must usher in a new era of human-centric globalisation. His guidance, vision, and global standing have been crucial in driving our presidency towards consensus. It has been my honour to be his Sherpa to the G20 during India’s presidency.

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