CURTAIN RAISER FOR G20: Development Working Group meeting to be held in Mumbai from Dec 13 to 16

Mumbai: The first meeting of the Development Working Group (DWG), which will be held in Mumbai from December 13 to 16, will discuss developmental issues in Developing Countries (DC), Least Developed Countries (LD) and Island Countries (Small Island Developing States/SIDS).  In these meetings, sessions on Data For Development, Role of G-20 in Advancing the 2030 Agenda, Infusing New LiFE into Green Development and Accelerating Progress on the SDGs. The delegates will enjoy cultural events that give them a unique India experience, go for a Gateway of India walk and also an excursion to Kanheri Caves on the last day.

Mumbai: As the city prepares for the G20 Council meetings next week, 187 beautification projects will begin on ThursdayThe DWG platformThe DWG is a platform for G-20 member countries to come together and prioritize multilateralism, share solutions that promote growth, remap development plans and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal targets (SDG). The G-20 possesses the knowledge, expertise, financial resources required to reverse trajectories that have gone off track. The DWG held in the 3rd G-20 at Bali between August 10-12, 2022, concluded with the discussion and finalisation of key G-20 agreements.

These include G-20 Roadmap for Stronger Recovery and Resilience in DCs, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and SIDs, the G- 20 principles to Scale up Blended Finance in DCs, the G-20 Ministerial Vision Statement: Multilateralism for Sustainable Development Goals( SDGs) Decade of Action and the 2022 G-20 Bali Update. India’s G -20 Presidency India holds the Presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. The 43 Heads of Delegations- the largest ever in G20-will be participating in the final New Delhi Summit in September next year.

What are India’s G20 Priorities?Climate Action and Financing. Just Energy Transitions, and LiFEThe opportunity to lead G20 comes at a time of compounding existential threat, with the COVID-19 pandemic having exposed the fragilities of our systems under the cascading impacts of climate change. In this regard, climate change is a key priority for India’s presidential agenda, with a particular focus towards not only climate finance and technology, but also ensuring just energy transitions for developing nations across the world.

Understanding that the issue of climate change cuts across industry, society, and sectors, India offers the world LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) -a behaviour-based movement that draws from our nation’s rich, ancient sustainable traditions to nudge consumers, and in-turn markets, to adopt environmentally-conscious practices. This ties closely with India’s G20 theme: ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth. One Family.

One Future. Accelerating Implementation of SDGsIndia’s G20 Presidency collides with the crucial midpoint of the 2030 Agenda. As such, India acknowledges the detrimental impact of COVID-19, which changed the current decade of action into a decade of recovery.

In line with this perspective. India wants to focus on recommitting G20’s efforts to achieving the targets laid out in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Digital Public Goods/Data for DevelopmentAs G20 lead, India can foreground its belief in a human-centric approach to technology, and facilitate greater knowledge-sharing in priority areas like public digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, and tech-enabled development in sectors ranging from agriculture to education.

Debt DistressIndia hopes to drive consensus on key, and contentious issues, like taxation, as well as discuss ways to reform development financing, which should “not trap a country,” the FM said. Reformed MultilateralismIndia’s G20 priority will be to continue pressing for reformed multilateralism that creates more accountable and inclusive international organisations. – Women-led developmentIndia hopes to use the G20 platform to highlight inclusive growth and development, with women empowerment and representation being at the core of India’s G20 deliberations.

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