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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to participate in the 19th G-20 summit. Last year, India set high standards in hosting this important international institution and proved its leadership and prowess on the global stage. However, under the rotation policy, the G-20 presidency is still held by Brazil, which will go to South Africa next year.
As far as the influential aspect of this institution is concerned, India has shown commitment in shaping its nature and direction. Rather than viewing the G20 merely as a vehicle for national prestige, India has seen it as its duty to global well-being and has contributed to its success with equal diligence and dedication even after leaving the presidency. In this context, Prime Minister Modi’s statement that the current leader Brazil has ‘promoted India’s heritage’ is not an exaggeration. Today, India is a member of the G-20 troika which ensures the continuity of the organization.
India has fulfilled this responsibility honestly and has left an indelible mark on many issues. Brazil’s first priority in the presidency is the fight against hunger and poverty. Along with this, the priority given during India’s hosting to accelerate progress on the United Nations’ Rapid Development Goals is being carried forward. Among the world’s least developed countries, Brazil itself has implemented several projects and programs to tackle problems such as poverty and hunger, and wants the Brazilian model to be recognized globally by the G20.
It is noteworthy that India also has good experience in supporting the developing world and India’s ‘Digital Public Infrastructure’ was recognized during its presidency of G-20. The achievements that India has made in the Modi era in taking the benefits of welfare schemes to the common man standing in the last line through digital medium, are now being adopted in every corner of the world with the help of G-20. Furthermore, India had conceptualized ‘women-led development’ and made it one of the foundations of its G-20 presidency.
Both these Indian aspects are being taken forward under the G-20 chairmanships of Brazil and South Africa. A second priority for host Brazil is to reduce emissions associated with energy conversion in the construction of greenhouses. This objective also clearly reflects the foundation laid by India. India has put the ideas of ‘green growth’ and ‘climate finance’ on top of the G-20 agenda in 2023 and agreed to more ambitious targets for financial assistance to developed countries.
The G20 Delhi Declaration agreed on the need to scale up climate-related investments and financing and decided to mobilize ‘trillions of dollars of financial assistance from all sources globally’.
However, even today the developed members of the G-20 are reluctant to provide large-scale financial resources to developing countries to tackle climate change. In such a situation, India has played a role in giving prominence to this subject and now Brazil and South Africa are also taking forward the same basis. With the return to power of economic nationalist Donald Trump in America, difficulties are likely to increase in the field of financial assistance related to climate change.
If this happens, India, Brazil and other major developing countries will have to find solutions along with Europe, Britain and Japan. Prime Minister Modi had given the mega mantra of ‘Jeevan’ (lifestyle for environment) at the G20 and the concept was prominently praised at the Delhi G20 summit. Brazil has emphasized social integration for the environment, underscoring the central role of indigenous and traditional communities.
It is clear that to tackle a crisis as big as climate change, action must be taken at both the individual and societal levels. The positive and simple solutions that India and Brazil have come up with to get to the bottom of this problem can save humanity from destruction. Brazil’s third priority is related to improving global governance. Under India’s leadership, the G-20 took the initiative to build a ‘better, broader and more effective’ international financial institution and multilateral bank to maintain international public confidence in global governance.
This year, Brazil put on the agenda effective and concrete action to reform the UN Security Council, whose composition has not changed since 1965. It is true that India, Brazil, Japan and Germany are members of the G-4 which are entitled to permanent membership in the Security Council. Sadly, procedural and political obstacles stand in the way of Security Council reform. India is working shoulder to shoulder with Brazil to remove obstacles through G-20.