India's G20 presidency: What this means for the country's place in world

India will assume the presidency of the G20 on December 1

For the first time, India is hosting a meeting of the G20. India’s sherpa, Amitabh Kant, is ready for it.

India will assume the presidency for a year from December 1. Meetings will be held, Kant said, in every Indian state; in all, there will be 200 meetings. The cherry on the cake will be the G20 Leaders’ Summit, at the level of heads of state/government, to be held on September 9-10, 2023, in New Delhi. 

The G20, which includes both highly industrialised countries and emerging economies, has been the most powerful bloc as it controls 80 per cent of global trade and 90 per cent of global GDP. Since the global economic crisis of 2008, India has been an active participant in the 16 leadership summits held, so far, represented by only two prime ministers — Manmohan Singh for six years and Narendra Modi for eight years. Kant replaced Industries and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal as sherpa in July this year. Since then, he has visited not only international capitals but also many Indian states to oversee arrangements. From India’s point of view, the year-long schedule of meetings is an ideal opportunity to showcase to the world all that the country as a post-colonial economy has achieved — not just by way of development but also growth. As host, India will welcome friends like France and Japan, friendly rivals like South Africa and South Korea, and adversaries like China and Turkey alike. Asked if bilateral issues would come in the way, Kant told Business Standard: “We are the host. It is a multilateral meeting. We’ll welcome everyone.”

According to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs, though the contours of the meetings are still being worked out, broadly, inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; LiFE (lifestyle for the environment); women empowerment; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism; climate financing; circular economy; global food security; energy security; green hydrogen; disaster risk reduction and resilience; developmental cooperation; fight against economic crime; and multilateral reforms will be among the topics discussed.

Several state governments are gearing up to host meetings, and not necessarily in state capitals. For instance, Haryana has offered Gurugram and neighbouring Taoru as venues of some meetings. Srinagar is refurbishing infrastructure and has formed a group of officers under Jammu & Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for preparations. Kant is especially enthused about his erstwhile parent cadre Kerala’s preparedness: He was one of the officers responsible for catapulting the state as global tourism capital.

“For a country deeply committed to democracy and multilateralism, India’s G20 Presidency will be a watershed moment our history,” said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, coordinator for the G20 and also former Foreign Secretary.

India’s G20 presidency will be followed by the assumption of the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and in that capacity, hosting the 2023 summit. 

The country will be in discussions in many world capitals for the months to come.

Members of G20

ArgentIna  I  AustralIa  I  BrazIl  I  Canada  I  ChIna  I  France  I  Germany  I  IndIa  I  IndonesIa  I  Italy  I  Japan  I  RepublIc of Korea  I  MexIco  I  RussIa  I  SaudI ArabIa  I  South AfrIca  I  Turkey I  UK I  USA  I   the European UnIon (EU)

The meetings
 

These currently comprise:

(i) Finance Track, with 8 workstreams (global macroeconomic policies, infrastructure financing, international financial architecture, sustainable finance, financial inclusion, health finance, international taxation, financial sector reforms)

(ii) Sherpa Track, with 12 workstreams (anti-corruption, agriculture, culture, development, digital economy, employment, environment and climate, education, energy transition, health, trade and investment, tourism)

(iii) 10 Engagement Groups of private sector/civil society/independent bodies (Business 20, Civil 20, Labour 20, Parliament 20, Science 20, Supreme Audit Institutions 20, Think 20, Urban 20, Women 20, and Youth 20)

The invitees

Besides G20 members, there has been a tradition of the host nation inviting some guest countries and international organisations (IOs). In addition to regular international organizations (UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO, WTO, ILO, FSB, and OECD) and chairs of regional organizations (AU, AUDA-NEPAD, and Asean), India, as G20 Presidency, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the UAE as guest countries, as well as ISA (International Solar Alliance), CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure), and ADB (Asian Development Bank) as guest IOs