External Affairs Minister speaks to G20’s Think20 Summit delegates at ‘Virtual Town Hall’

Mysore/Mysuru: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said that India has been able to focus attention on the most pressing challenges faced by humanity, during its G20 Presidency. “Emphasis has been laid on Mission LIFE for empowering climate-friendly lifestyles, addressing the challenge of food security and use of technology to transform the lives of people,” he said.

The Foreign Minister was speaking virtually to the delegates of the G20’s Think20 Summit being hosted at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza in the city last evening. His session was titled ‘Virtual Town Hall’.

Mission LIFE’s mantra is ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ and it connects the powers of the people for the protection of this earth and teaches them to utilise it in a better way. It makes the fight against climate change democratic in which everyone can contribute according to their capacity. Mission LIFE believes that even small efforts can have a huge impact,” he said.

“G20 has developed an open architecture by bringing in diverse stakeholders, including civil society. The process is not run by a narrow group of policy-makers. The world is not just about strategy and competition. India believes in an inclusive society. We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Jaishankar said.

“We don’t have a single problem and a single consequence. We have multiple problems in the world. The G20 has to take these into account. The G20’s mandate, while still within the developmental domain, has broadened in recent years. Certainly, developments in Europe have affected it. It cannot be impervious to it. But it has to absorb the impact of developments like these, adapt and adjust,” he said.

Connected with people

Dr. Jaishankar remarked that India had adopted an unconventional approach to its G20 Presidency, making it much more connected with people, and demonstrating that their concerns and global concerns are indivisible. Ultimately, Jaishankar felt, India had been able to leverage the G20 platform to showcase change in action and to “make the world ready for India and India ready for the world.”

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the importance of women-led development. Women play a critical role not just in the family but also the society. Several of our development initiatives have direct implications for the well-being of girls and women. We have seen tremendous progress in the #gender balance in the last decade,” he said.

The voice of the Global South must be heard by the G20 which are the top 20 economies. They have got the ability to shape the present international order. So, they have to listen to the concerns of the Global South.

Empowering women and girls

Dr. Jaishankar also said gender equality is a fundamental human right and empowering all women and girls to realise their full potential is not only key to achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also to ensuring sustainable, inclusive and resilient development.

As the G20 President, India has sought to change the growth narrative from the development of women to women-led development, he said.

“Our basic development has slowed down in recent years. Education, employment and growth are under stress. The aftermath of COVID-19 will impact us for a few more years. It has harmed the social fabric and thrown up systemic challenges. These issues worry me. We have tried to hold the G20 in a different matter. We wanted to showcase India’s progress. The decade leading to 2030 has been an important decade of transformation for India,” the External Affairs Minister said.