Ambassadors blow conch shells at Andaman; India G20 presidency begins Dec 1

As India is set to assume the G20 presidency on December 1, the ambassadors and heads of missions of G20 nations on November 26 blew conch shells at the Swaraj Dweep in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa of India, shared the video of G20 ambassadors blowing the conch shell in the Andamans on Twitter.

While sharing the video on the microblogging site, Amitabh Kant said, "Embarking on our G20 Presidency with the auspicious "Shankhnaad". Blowing the Conch Shell with Ambassadors & Heads of Missions of G20 countries at the Swaraj Dweep in the Andamans."

A special briefing of the resident heads of international organizations was held at Swaraj Dweep in Andaman Nicobar Islands on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. More than 40 missions and International Organizations participated in the program.

A detailed briefing was given by the G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and Harsh Shringla, the Chief Coordinator of the G20 Summit which is slated to take place in India this year. Kant recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement at the G20 Bali Summit that India's Presidency will be "inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented".

During the briefing, the delegates discussed priorities in areas like public digital goods and digital infrastructure, climate action, climate finance and technology collaborations, clean, sustainable, just and affordable energy transition, accelerated progress on sustainable development goals, women-led development and multilateral reforms.

Harsh Shringla briefed missions regarding the arrangements made for G20 meetings in India and facilitation for the participation of the delegation. He recalled that the day also marks India's Constitution Day, the 14th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks and the importance of facing global challenges together, according to MEA's press release.

At the end of the briefing, OSD(Operations) Muktesh Pardeshi and AS(G20) Abhay Thakur answered a range of queries from Missions on travel, visas, protocol, security and participation of invitees.

During the event, Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra gave a detailed briefing regarding the history, culture, environment and development of the Andaman & Nicobar islands. During the briefing, the delegates appreciated the arrangements made by the Union Territory to make the meeting a success.

Apart from the briefing, delegates also participated in a yoga session and beach cleaning activity. Delegates also visited the historic Cellular Jail at Port Blair, where a large number of our unsung heroes were imprisoned for the cause of our freedom struggle. The visit concluded with a cultural program by local artists.