Union Cabinet approves setting up of G20 Secretariat

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a G20 Secretariat and its reporting structures, which will be responsible for implementation of overall policy decisions and arrangements needed for steering India’s forthcoming G20 Presidency.

India will hold the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022, to 30 November 2023, culminating with the G20 Summit in India in 2023. G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation that plays an important role in global economic governance.

“As per practice, a G20 Secretariat is being established to handle work relating to substantive/knowledge/content, technical, media, security and logistical aspects of India’s G20 Presidency,” an official release said.

The secretariat will be manned by officers and staff from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and other relevant line ministries and departments and domain knowledge experts. The secretariat will be functional till February 2024.

The secretariat will be guided by an Apex Committee headed by Prime Minister and comprising Finance Minister, Home Minister, External Affairs Minister, and G20 Sherpa (Commerce & Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister), to provide overall guidance to India’s G20 Presidency. A coordination committee will also be set up to oversee all G20 preparations and report to the Apex Committee.

“The G20 Secretariat will enable long term capacity building, including knowledge and expertise, for India’s leadership on global issues in multilateral fora,” the release said.