Underscoring the importance of India's G20 presidency, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India has a middle-ground to bring different parties to the table.
Addressing a press briefing at G20 University Connect here, he said, "World is very polarised. Even having everybody in the room was a real challenge in the last G20 meeting in Bali. A country like India, which is independent-minded, has a middle-ground to bring different parties to the table."
Speaking about the sufferings of the global South due to the polarization, he said, "The polarization in the world may occur elsewhere, but people in the Global South suffer the most. Our intentions would be to get leaders on what a large part of the world thinks."
"Our intention is to be very much a champion of Global South. The majority of guests that are brought are actually from the global south," he added.
Jaishankar also emphasized on India becoming the voice of the Global South and expressing their concerns on fuel, food and fertilizers.
"We share too the apprehension that sustainable development, climate action and climate justice could be sidetracked due to more dominant issues," said Jaishankar.
He said that the time is on our side. With each passing day, the world sees the value of India which wasn't the case 45 years ago.
"By end of the decade, we will be the most populous country, and almost certainly we will be the third-largest economy in the world. Our human resources will be critical for the global economy by 2030 in a world dominated by artificial intelligence," said EAM Dr S Jaishankar.
Underscoring the importance of this juncture, the minister said this is not a development that should be regarded as just one more diplomatic happening.
"On the contrary, it is a crucial responsibility that is being assumed by India at a very challenging time in world politics and at an inflection point in India's own history," he said.
Jaishankar also highlighted a change in a representative and democratic international order, adding, "A representative and democratic international order must press for change, not just in the United Nations but in other international institutions as well."
He reiterated that as the mother of democracy, India's G20 presidency will be consultative, collaborative and decisive.
"We must also recognize that global order today isn't truly reflective of the state of the world. Institutions and practices created 75 years ago still dominate global decision-making," said the EAM.
Speaking about sustainable lifestyles, he said, "Pro-planet people adopting fundamentally sustainable lifestyles will change the way we do business in the 21st century. India will seek to be a catalyst of that change."
Jaishankar further said that the G20 presidency offers an opportunity to share India's story with others, particularly those who may transpose some of its experiences on their performance or challenges
"There are very good reasons why today's world is taking a much deeper interest in us. G20 presidency offers an opportunity to share our story with others, particularly those who may transpose some of our experiences on their performance or challenges," said Jaishankar.
He said that G20 is the premier grouping devoted to addressing world financial, economic, and development challenges.
"In these difficult times, it's important that world leaders focus on the right issues that especially affect the more vulnerable sections of the world," said Jaishankar.
( With inputs from ANI )
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