Under India’s presidency the four-day G20 Development Working Group (DWG) is all set to start in the financial capital of the country, Mumbai. The first meetings of DWG will take place from December 13-16, 2022.
According to sources the meetings of the DWG aims to discuss developmental issues in Island nations, Developing Countries and the Least Developed Countries over the next few days. This is a platform for the G20 member nations to not only come together to prioritize multilateralism but to also remap development plans, achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets and also to share solutions that promote growth.
The grouping has the expertise, knowledge and financial resources that are required to reverse trajectories that have gone off the track.
The third DWG meeting in Bali in August had concluded with the discussion and finalisation of key G-20 agreements.
Agenda of the DWG Meetings in Mumbai
There will be different sessions and these include: Infusing New LiFE into Green Development; Data for Development; Role of G-20 in Advancing the 2030 Agenda; and Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Also, the first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) meeting is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The three days meetings under India’s G20 Presidency are jointly hosted by the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Finance. And formally marks the start of discussions on the Finance Track agenda and the focus is on the agenda for the Finance Track including: financing for climate action and SDGs; advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains; financing cities of tomorrow; managing global debt vulnerabilities; and most importantly reorienting international financial institutions to meet the shared global challenges of the 21st century.
With diversity at its core, India is home to one-sixth of all humanity, and holds the key to the success of the 2030 Agenda. It recognises that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides the blueprint for every nation individually and collectively to recognise and effectively address the challenges of building a sustainable future for the planet and all its life.’
Meetings in Mumbai
Over the next two months around 14 meetings are expected to take place in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Aurangabad.
These include besides the DWG meeting starting tomorrow, the infrastructure working group meeting next month in Pune, followed by another meeting in February in Aurangabad, an event in Nagpur in March. And many more in the state of Maharashtra.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
During its Presidency, India will focus on accelerating the progress on achieving the SDGs. And towards this it will raise the profile of development issues throughout all the working streams of the grouping. The emphasis, according to sources, is on transformative areas and transitions which will have multiplier effects on all SDGs. These include – women development, just green transitions and digital transformation.
The G20 Presidency comes at a strategic mid-way point in the journey towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. And is taking place parallelly with not just two UN key Summits like the SDGs summit and the summit for the Future which are scheduled for 2023 and 2024 respectively convened by the UN but also the start of Amrit Kaal.
During the DWG meetings India intends to bring to the fore issues which are relevant to the developing nations as it has consistently raised its voice regarding the need for enhanced role of developing countries in global decision-making. And will also highlight the need to increase the voice of the developing nations in international bodies and to also make them the custodians of their own development journey. India’s presidency belongs not only to the G20 countries but the whole world and importantly the Global South.