Vinay Kwatra, the top bureaucrat of India’s foreign ministry has announced that India will host a virtual summit of over 120 developing countries next week to share their economic woes in deliberations during its G-20 presidency this year.
The summit on January 12 and 13 will give developing countries the opportunity to deliberate on key issues such as the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine decreasing access and affordability of food, fertilizer and fuel, mounting debt and inflationary pressures taking a toll on developing countries’ economies.
“India has always been in the forefront and consistently championed the cause of the developing world,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra disclosed, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the conflict in Ukraine have impacted many developing countries.
The summit follows a declaration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December, 2022 that India’s G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with developing countries and its G20 partners.
Vinay Kwatra noted that India endeavors to provide a common platform to deliberate on the concerns, interests and priorities of developing countries and exchange ideas and solutions to various problems.
“India will work to ensure that the valuable inputs generated from partner countries receive due cognizance globally.”
Vinay Kwatra
Opportunity To Gain Prominence In Global Decision-Making
Presiding over the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations’ summit in 2023, India is expected to use the opportunity to gain prominence in global decision-making.
“Often the concerns of the developing world do not receive due attention and space on the global stage. India’s ongoing presidency of the G20 presidency provides us with a special and strong opportunity to channelise these inputs into the deliberation and discourse of the G20.”
Vinay Kwatra
Asked whether India’s long-time rivals China and Pakistan will be participating in the summit, Kwatra replied that invitations for the two-day summit scheduled for Jan. 12-13 are being extended to more than 120 countries and his ministry would provide names after participation is confirmed.
Heads of governments, foreign ministers and finance ministers will participate in the “Voice of Global South Summit” where discussions will range from financial development to energy security in developing nations, Kwatra stated.
He also rejected a suggestion that “The Voice of Global South Summit” implies that India is moving away from old associations like the Non-Aligned Movement, a coalition of mostly developing countries.
India was a founding member in the early 1960s of NAM, which was not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
At the end of the summit, a summary detailing priorities and perspectives of the developing countries will be shared, Kwatra added.
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