Today marks 365 days since India assumed the G20 Presidency. It is a moment to reflect, recommit, and rejuvenate the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’
As we undertook this responsibility last year, the global landscape grappled with multifaceted challenges: recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, looming climate threats, financial instability, and debt distress in developing nations, all amid declining multilateralism. In the midst of conflicts and competition, development cooperation suffered, impeding progress.
Assuming the G20 Chair, India sought to offer the world an alternative to status quo, a shift from a GDP-centric to human-centric progress. India aimed to remind the world of what unites us, rather than what divides us. Finally, the global conversation had to evolve – the interests of the few had to give way to the aspirations of the many. This required a fundamental reform of multilateralism as we knew it.
Inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive—these four words defined our approach as G20 president, and the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), unanimously adopted by all G20 members, is testimony to our commitment to deliver on these principles.
Inclusivity has been at the heart of our presidency. The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80% of the global population. This proactive stance has fostered a more comprehensive dialogue on global challenges and opportunities.
The first-of-its-kind ‘Voice of the Global South Summit,’ convened by India in two editions, heralded a new dawn of multilateralism. India mainstreamed the Global South’s concerns in international discourse and has ushered in an era where developing countries take their rightful place in shaping the global narrative.
Inclusivity also infused India’s domestic approach to G20, making it a People’s Presidency that befits that world’s largest democracy. Through “Jan Bhagidari” (people’s participation) events, G20 reached 1.4 billion citizens, involving all states and Union Territories (UTs) as partners. And on substantive elements, India ensured that international attention was directed to broader developmental aims, aligning with G20’s mandate.
At the critical midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, India delivered the G20 2023 Action Plan to Accelerate Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking a cross-cutting, action-oriented approach to interconnected issues, including health, education, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
A key area driving this progress is robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Here, India was decisive in its recommendations, having witnessed the revolutionary impact of digital innovations like Aadhaar, UPI, and Digilocker first-hand. Through G20, we successfully completed the Digital Public Infrastructure Repository, a significant stride in global technological collaboration. This repository, featuring over 50 DPIs from 16 countries, will help the Global South build, adopt, and scale DPI to unlock the power of inclusive growth.
For our One Earth, we introduced ambitious and inclusive aims to create urgent, lasting, and equitable change. The Declaration’s ‘Green Development Pact’ addresses the challenges of choosing between combating hunger and protecting the planet, by outlining a comprehensive roadmap where employment and ecosystems are complimentary, consumption is climate conscious, and production is planet-friendly. In tandem, the G20 Declaration calls for an ambitious tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030. Coupled with the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance and a concerted push for Green Hydrogen, the G20’s ambitions to build a cleaner, greener world is undeniable. This has always been India’s ethos, and through Lifestyles for Sustainable Development (LiFE), the world can benefit from our age-old sustainable traditions.
Further, the Declaration underscores our commitment to climate justice and equity, urging substantial financial and technological support from the Global North. For the first time, there was a recognition of the quantum jump needed in the magnitude of development financing, moving from billions to trillions of dollars. G20 acknowledged that developing countries require $5.9 trillion to fulfil their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030.
Given the monumental resources required, G20 emphasised the importance of better, larger, and more effective Multilateral Development Banks. Concurrently, India is taking a leading role in UN reforms, especially in the restructuring of principal organs like the UN Security Council, that will ensure a more equitable global order.
Gender equality took centre stage in the Declaration, culminating in the formation of a dedicated Working Group on the Empowerment of Women next year. India’s Women’s Reservation Bill 2023, reserving one-third of India’s Parliament and state legislative assembly seats for women epitomizes our commitment to women-led development.
The New Delhi Declaration embodies a renewed spirit of collaboration across these key priorities, focusing on policy coherence, reliable trade, and ambitious climate action. It is a matter of pride that during our Presidency, G20 achieved 87 outcomes and 118 adopted documents, a marked rise from the past.
During our G20 Presidency, India led deliberations on geopolitical issues and their impact on economic growth and development. Terrorism and the senseless killing of civilians is unacceptable, and we must address it with a policy of zero-tolerance. We must embody humanitarianism over hostility and reiterate that this is not an era of war.
I am delighted that during our Presidency India achieved the extraordinary: it revitalised multilateralism, amplified the voice of the Global South, championed development, and fought for the empowerment of women, everywhere.
As we hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil, we do so with the conviction that our collective steps for people, planet, peace, and prosperity, will resonate for years to come.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India has included Ukraine in the list of countries that do not treat grain crops with fumigants containing methyl bromide (CH3Br), the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported, citing the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India.
“This will make it possible to exempt domestic exporters from paying additional payments (penalties) stipulated by local legislation and export grain cargoes during disinfection with aluminum phosphide-based preparations,” the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection said in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency clarified that Ukrainian grain for export to India should be disinfected with aluminum phosphide-based products only. It is recalled that work to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to India has been underway since 2016.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in its September review lowered its estimate of India’s rice exports next year to 17.5 million tons from 19 million tons in the August forecast. This year, exports are expected to reach 20 million tons.
World rice prices have soared to 15-year highs amid export restrictions imposed by India, the world’s largest rice exporter, the USDA said. In July, the country imposed a ban on the export of most rice varieties, followed by an export duty on steamed rice and a minimum export price for basmati. Importers switched to other major suppliers, such as Thailand and Vietnam, and as a result, their export prices rose to the highest levels since 2008.
At the same time, even before India’s restrictions, rice prices were rising amid strong demand from importers and declining production in a number of countries.
In 2008, India, at that time the second largest exporter of rice, also imposed export restrictions, which led to a sharp rise in prices. After the restrictions were lifted in 2011, the country increased supplies to the global market and became the largest exporter the following year, and has maintained this position since then. In 2022, India exported slightly more than the next four suppliers combined, accounting for about 40% of global supplies. Since 2020, the country has been supplying white rice at the lowest prices, especially to sub-Saharan Africa. The sharp rise in prices is expected to have a significant impact on these import-dependent countries.
Despite the significant increase in export prices, they have not reached the record levels of 2008, as export restrictions are less severe this time. In addition, Vietnam, which stopped exports in 2008, is now resuming shipments.
According to the USDA forecast, global rice exports this year will amount to 53.11 million tons (56.12 million tons last year). Next year, supplies may decline to 52.1 million tons (the forecast was lowered from 53 million tons, according to the August estimate).
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to put to a vote in the Indian parliament a resolution to change the country’s name to the traditional Bharat, Indian media reported on Tuesday.
According to the Times Now newspaper, the vote may take place during a special session of parliament scheduled for September 18-22.
At the same time, The Economic Times writes that, according to Congress Speaker Jairam Ramesh, the invitations to the G20 dinner were signed on behalf of President Bharat, not the President of India.
Many members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) support this initiative to rename India, the newspaper notes.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to send its Chandrayaan-3 (Chandrayaan-3) automated interplanetary station to the Moon on Friday.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is scheduled to be launched on July 14, 2023, at 2:35 p.m. Indian time (12:05 a.m. QT) from the launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center located on Sriharikota island.
According to the organization’s plan, the spacecraft will be launched into orbit using an LVM-3 launch vehicle, after which the probe will begin its autonomous flight to near-lunar orbit.
The Chandrayaan-3 station consists of three components – a landing module, a propulsion module and a lunar rover – whose main purpose is to demonstrate and test the technologies required for interplanetary missions.
After the spacecraft enters lunar orbit, its landing module will have to make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon, then the rover, equipped with various research equipment, will move off the platform and begin chemical analysis of the surface of the natural satellite of the Earth. The lunar rover mission is designed to last 14 Earth days.
A previous attempt to send a landing module and a lunar rover to the Moon was made in 2019 as part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission. Then the orbiter managed to enter the lunar orbit, but due to communication problems, specialists were unable to correct the landing of the landing module separated from the interplanetary station, as a result of which it crashed on impact with the lunar surface.
Orbiter mission Chandrayaan-2 remained in orbit and continues to collect scientific data on the Earth’s natural satellite. No such orbiter mission is planned for Chandrayaan-3.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree appointing Andriy Melnyk as Ukraine’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Brazil.
The corresponding decree № 341/2023 is published on the website of the President.
In addition, by the decree № 340/2023 Ambassador of Ukraine to Peru Yuriy Polukhovich was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Colombia concurrently.
By Decree №339/2023 Oleksandr Polishchuk was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to India.
Andriy Melnyk served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from 2022 to 2023, before that he was Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany (from 2014 to 2022).
Yuriy Polyukhovich has represented Ukraine in Peru since December 2022. Previously, he served as Acting Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (from March 10 to March 25, 2020).
Oleksandr Polishchuk has served as Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine since October 2019. He was Ukraine’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group in the working subgroup on security issues. He holds the rank of Major General.
