The G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting kicked off on Thursday at Rashtrapati Bhavan with a video message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he signalled the need for “unity of purpose” as well as “unity of action” at a time when “multilateralism” is in a state of “crisis”.
Speaking at the event, the prime minister said, “Post World War, global governance failed in both its mandates of preventing future wars and fostering international cooperation on issues of common interest.”
He underlined the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ for India’s G20 presidency, which would reflect the spirit of coming together for achieving common and concrete objectives.
“India’s G20 Presidency has tried to give a voice to the Global South. We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can,” said PM Modi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as chair of the meeting, opened the first session by paying tribute to the victims of the earthquakes that shook Turkey and Syria. The gathering observed a minute’s silence.
The gathering proceeded to discuss the three topics on the agenda for Session I – Strengthening Multilateralism and Need for Reforms; Food and Energy Security; Development Cooperation.
At the outset, Jaishankar, agreeing with PM Modi, said, “There are pressing and systematic challenges, the future of multilateralism depends on our ability to strengthen it in a changing world.”
He added, “This grouping bears an exceptional responsibility. We first came together in the midst of a global economic crisis. And are actually confronting multiple challenges – impact of Covid 19 pandemic, concerns of fragile supply chains, the knock-on effect of ongoing conflicts, the anxiety of the debt crisis and disruption of climate events.”
Speaking of the differences and the schisms that were quite evident at the Bengaluru finance ministers’ meeting, minister Jaishankar pushed for consensus at the end of the day.
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