India’s G20 to focus on 3Ds: Jaishankar

The External Affairs Minister said that G20 will be an occasion for India to highlight the 3Ds which are 'Development, Democracy and Diversity'

New Delhi, Dec 08: External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said that in global engagements, India has evinced keen interest in making digital delivery, public health response, and green growth as tools for empowering all sections of society.

"In our global engagements, we have discerned a strong interest in India's digital delivery, public health response, green growth and development as well as the empowerment of all sections of society," the minister said.

"Hon'ble Members are aware that the G20 is taking place in the larger context of a geopolitical crisis, food and energy insecurity, slow progress on Sustainable Development Goals, mounting debt burden and challenges to climate action and climate justice," Jaishankar also said.

The minister said that the government wants to build consensus within the G20 and champion causes, especially of the Global South and shape setting the agenda.

"The G20 will be an occasion for India to highlight the 3Ds-Development, Democracy and Diversity. There is also an enhanced interest in our dramatic traditions which go back in our pluralistic and consultative culture. We envisaged the G20 Presidency as an occasion to showcase India to the world."

"This will be done through cultural activities, sustainability initiatives, regional festivals, technology programmes, milet promotion and also One District One Product Promotion," Dr. Jaishankar said.

"It will focus on emphasising our achievements and priorities such as digital India, clean energy, sustainable lifestyles, women-led development, and multilateral reforms. Prime Minister's initiative on 'LiFE' - Lifestyle For Environment - and India's Millet initiative, which has resulted in the UN declaration of the year 2023 as International Year of Millets, would also be prominent in India's approach towards addressing the SDGs," he also said.

"Today, we are building stronger bridges with both developing countries and advanced economies. Apart from our G20 presidency, we are members of a growing number of groups and mechanisms. Some of them are relatively established like the BRICS and Commonwealth. Others have been more recent like the Quad and SCO. And still others are emerging like the I2U2 and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework," he also added.

"I would also like to share with the House that the Ministers of MEA have been equally active during this period. I have myself hosted the Foreign Ministers of Maldives, France, Singapore, Bostwana, United Kingdom, Ghana, Gabon, Belarus, Syria, UAE and Germany in this period. I would also highlight the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable and the collective interaction with 12 African Ministers," the minister also added.