G20 Summit Begins With ‘One Earth’ Session – Key Details Here

Greeting top leaders from multiple countries at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the inaugural session of the G20 Summit on Saturday morning and talked about a human-centric approach to development.

In his address, Modi proposed African Union to be part of the G20 and said the group “will have to look at concrete solutions to terrorism, climate change, supply chains and cyber security.” The leaders could announce the Global Biofuel Alliance on Day 1 of the event.

The Indian leader also highlighted the rare, powerful earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday night, killing at least 296 people, injuring more than 150 others and damaging scores of buildings in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech.

Day 1 Schedule Details And Twin Objectives

Notably, the theme for this year’s summit – ‘One Earth – One Family – One Future’ – affirms the value of all life and their interconnectedness on the planet and in the wider universe. The inaugural session will focus on accelerating climate action, set to conclude at 1:30 pm IST.

The second session of ‘One Family’ will begin at 3 pm IST and continue till 4:45 pm – followed by a dinner hosted by Indian President Droupadi Murmu. It’s the first G20 Summit hosted by India amid extensive preparations to portray the country’s tradition and strength.

China’s Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have decided to skip the weekend event, sending Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in their respective places. India has focused on a number of key areas during its presidency.

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It has worked on climate resilience, inclusive growth, equitable global health access and digital innovation. India also plans to achieve the twin objectives of facilitating African Union inclusion and resolving disagreements about a joint statement on Ukraine war at the summit.

India Identifies Six Priorities

1. Green Development

2. Sustainable Development Goals

3. Inclusive Growth

4. Multilateral Institutions

5. Technological Transformation

6. Women-Led Development

As India hosts the G20 Summit, the main focus will potentially be on climate finance, circular economy, energy transition and energy security, even though all eyes could also be on whether the Russian invasion of Ukraine finds a place on the discussion table.

While the group started as a forum for global economic cooperation, the issues broadened over the years to include sustainability, international debt and health security. India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant recently said the Leaders’ Declaration will reflect the voice of Global South.