India to host over 200 meetings during its G20 Presidency

India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its yearlong Presidency of the influential group which will culminate with an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year. India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to 30 November 2023.

”Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country, beginning December 2022. The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10, 2023 in New Delhi,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).

Collectively, the G20 accounts for 85 percent of the global GDP, 75 percent of international trade, and two-thirds of the world population, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation.

India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous, and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy, and India.

During India’s Presidency, India, Indonesia, and Brazil would form the troika.

This would be the first time when the troika would consist of three developing countries and emerging economies, providing them a greater voice, the MEA said. In addition to G20 members, there has been a tradition of the G20 Presidency inviting some guest countries and international organizations to its G20 meetings and summit.

Accordingly, in addition to regular international organizations like the UN, IMF, World Bank, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization, and International Labour Organization among others, India, as G20 Presidency, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the UAE as guest countries, the MEA said. It said the ISA (International Solar Alliance), CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure), and ADB (Asian Development Bank) would also be invited as guests. ”Whilst our G20 priorities are in the process of being firmed up, ongoing conversations inter alia revolve around inclusive, equitable, and sustainable growth; LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment); women’s empowerment; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health and agriculture,” the MEA said.

The other key areas are education, commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism, climate financing, circular economy, global food security, energy security, green hydrogen, disaster risk reduction and resilience, developmental cooperation, the fight against economic crime, and multilateral reforms.