INDIA'S G20 PRESIDENCY AFFIRMS 'ASIAN CENTURY'

If the G20 is unable to accommodate the problems of the global south, it will no longer be able to dictate global policy,

- VAISHALI BASU SHARMA

G20 meetings are being organised across the length and breadth of India during its Presidency. New Delhi is hosting foreign delegates for over 200 G20-related meetings in around 60 cities across the country, the widest geographical spread in any G20 Presidency; across 32 different work streams.

A key milestone in India’s G20 Presidency was reached on April 17, with the hosting of the Group of Twenty’s 100th meeting. According to the External Affairs Ministry, India will endeavour to ‘give the G20 delegates and guests a glimpse of India's rich cultural heritage and a year-long India experience.’

On December 1, 2022, India assumed the Presidency of the G20, or Group of 20, an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies, for one year till 30 November 2023. The G20 harbours about twothirds of the world's population from all continents and comprises global and regional key players for several of the world's present hotspots. India’s role as the G20 chair is being viewed as a real opportunity for it to share the experiences of the global South with the rest of the world.

Under the Shadow of the War in Ukraine The Group of Twenty has never been as starkly divided as it is now. At a time of heightened inflation which is broadening beyond food and energy prices, continuing COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions and fears of a global recession, the widening net of Western economic sanctions has led to additional pressure on emerging economies. Representing more than 80% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), 75% of the global international trade and 60% of the world population, the G20 has a significant responsibility to fulfil. But an evaluation of the number of issues over which the leading economies are at odds leaves little room for euphoria and optimism.