G20 Shouldn't Restrict Itself To Resolutions

India has taken some noteworthy initiatives during its G20 presidency and has not shied away from tough discussions

- Janmeiaya Sinha

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI invoked the Sanskrit term “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family) as India took over the presidency of the G20 (group of 20 nations). That is why India has stated that the theme of its presidency will be “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. Addressing the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in India, Prime Minister Modi asserted that the post-World War II multilateral order is in crisis. The two main objectives of post-WWII multilateralism— to prevent wars by balancing diverging interests and to engender international cooperation on issues of common global interest—have not been achieved. If we were to study the experience of the last few years, we have been witness to a global financial crisis, rapid global warming, a devastating pandemic, all forms of terrorism, and a war in mainland Europe. The G20 platform needs to take leadership in facing up to such challenges. The G20’s approach should be to find ways to build on our shared agreements, rather than focus all our energies on the differences between some of us on some issues. At this time, as a planet, we are falling behind in our commitment to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that all nations agreed to at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. So, in a sense India’s cry, as a voice for the Global South, is to use the more broad-based G20 platform to advance the world on the most critical global issues facing it. It is in this vein that India has also made an unequivocal push to include the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.