Pressed for time and organization of the G-20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with US President Biden on Friday eve and with French President Emmanuel Macron after the completion of the high-level engagement on Sunday.
It is understood that PM Modi is inclined to host dinner and lunch for his two close friends respectively but the program schedule is dependent on President Biden’s arrival schedule on Friday and the departure of President Macron to Dhaka on Sunday after the completion of the G-20 summit. While President Biden will be offered dinner on Friday but it depends on jet-lag, President Macron is inclined to have lunch with PM Modi on Sunday afternoon along with bilateral talks.
It is learnt that PM Modi will also have plans to hold bilateral talks with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the two haven’t had proper bilateral conversation for some months.
While the Ukraine war and its impact on the global economy will be the political conversation during the G-20 summit, PM Modi’s priority focus will be to use the gathering to focus on the global south and put a priority tag on the 17 sustainable development goals as a 2021 UN report had shown that the global pandemic played havoc with them. The UN report indicated that in addition to four million deaths at the time of the report, between 119-124 million people were pushed into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255 million jobs were lost during the disease which had origins in Wuhan in China.
PM Modi wants the G-20 to focus especially on Africa as it was the worst hit among the global south by the pandemic and it is for that very reason he wants Africa to be given a permanent invite to the G-20 summit. While financial commitments of the developed nations are still awaited for climate change challenges, PM Modi is expected to promote green development understanding and green goals to protect the future from climate-related disasters. In this context, PM Modi will pitch for millets to be the answer for global food security as the grain has the ability to survive in tough climatic conditions and high temperatures.
While developed nations need to provide financial backing and technology to dis-incentivize the global south from using coal for power generation, PM Modi will push for change in global lifestyle or what he calls mission LIFE for protecting the environment.
Last but most important of PM Modi’s pitch at the G-20 will be women development and empowerment as this has taken a global regression in the wake of the global pandemic. This will be part of PM Modi’s vision of inclusion where no one is left behind and he has been successful in achieving this domestically through “antodhya” programs.
Having said that, there will be last-minute political manoeuvrings among the global leaders to come to a consensus on how to promote global economic growth and development—the real reason for which the G-20 was formed.
