In a veiled allusion to the persisting Ukraine deadlock in G20, New Delhi’s Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla exhorted the multilateral grouping of the world’s most powerful economies not to get distracted, but to focus on addressing pressing issues of the day that affect the lives of people. “Expectations are high. It is incumbent on the G20 to deliver on the expectations of the international community at large,” Mr Shringla said at a conference organised by India Writes Network and Centre for Global India Insights, a think tank focused on global affairs, in New Delhi.
“I think while there is enough to divide us, our approach of inclusivity, our approach is that of looking at the world as one family. It’s saying that look, let’s work together to address what are the pressing issues of the day. Let us not get distracted,” Mr Shringla said at the conference entitled “India’s G20 Moment: Forging an Inclusive World Order.”
“What is important is that we take a larger view, take into account the interests of the larger community, all of us who are members of the G20, and take decisions that make a difference to the lives of people across the world.”
Mr Shringla’s views illustrate India’s emerging approach of keeping contentious geopolitical issues such as the Ukraine crisis off the G20 agenda. The recent meeting of foreign ministers of G20 countries failed to reach a consensus on the Ukraine issue due to sharply different views of Russia and the Western countries. Since then, Russia has been more vocal about not letting the Ukraine figure in G20 discussions.
The conference featured eminent speakers, including Member of Parliament Dr Amar Patnaik; Indonesia’s Ambassador to India Ina H. Krisnamurthi; UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp; Mr Edward Uziel, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Brazil; Deep Kapuria, Chairman, The Hi-Tech Group; and Ashish Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary (G-20) in MEA. The conference was moderated by Manish Chand, Founder-CEO, India Writes Network and Director, Centre for Global India Insights, a think tank focused on global affairs.
“India’s G20 presidency is a defining moment not only for India, but also for the world at a time when there is not much good news, but a sense of gloom and doom following the Ukraine crisis,” said Mr Chand. “In such a despairing situation, the world is looking at India with a new glimmer of hope. Given India’s unique position as a bridge-builder between the global north and global South, there are greater expectations than ever from this country of over 1.4 billion people,” he said.
Underlining that India’s G20 presidency is animated by the overarching goal of inclusion, Mr Harsh Vardhan Shringla called for reforming the G20 to reflect the interests of developing countries, which have “suffered the brunt of black swan events” such as the pandemic and the Ukraine war. Reflecting the focus on the global South, Mr Shringla stressed that India has invited a “record” number of countries from Africa to be part of G20 consultations and side-events. “Inclusivity has to really come from within and when you look at our presidency. We have tried to keep inclusivity foremost in our consideration when we planned our presidency,” he said. Indonesia’s Ambassador to India Inna H. Krisnamurthi voices her optimism, saying that India will strive and thrive in its G20 presidency. “Many achievements have already been made by the country on the issue of digital energy transition and many other issues,” she said.
