The second G20 Sherpas meeting is set to begin in Kerala’s Kumarakom village today (March 30). This year the meeting, which will be chaired India’s Sherpa Amitabh Kant, will see the participation of over 120 delegates from the world’s 20 largest economies, nine invitee countries and international and regional organisations. As per an official statement, this year the meet will focus on issues ranging from G20’s economic and developmental priorities to addressing contemporary global challenges with an array of other issues. The meet will conclude on April 2.
The deliberations will focus on policy approaches and concrete implementation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the press release. The second Sherpas meeting will work on a range of issues of global concern and will encompass the work being done under the 13 Working Groups within the Sherpa track. The deliberations of the Sherpa meetings will take forward the outcomes of various Sherpa Track and Finance Track meetings. The deliberations will form the basis of the Leaders declaration, slated to be adopted at the summit set to take place in New Delhi in September 2023, according to the press release.
Furthermore, 11 engagement groups and four initiatives – Research and Innovations Initiative Gathering or RIIG, Empower, Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting or SELM and Chief Scientific Advisers Roundtable or CSAR are also making policy recommendations from the perspectives of the civil society, private sector, academia, women, youth, scientific advancement and research. The second G20 Sherpas meeting will begin on March 30 with two high-level side events on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Green Development, according to MEA press release. Organised in partnership with NASSCOM, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), the Digital Public Infrastructure side-event will begin with an immersive digital experience for all G20 delegates.
It will be followed by multiple panel discussions on global challenges and opportunities for creating a growth-oriented and inclusive DPI. The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) side event will be addressed by Infosys Technologies Limited Co-Founder and Chairman Nandan Nilekani, Commissioner for International Market of the European Union Thierry Breton, Digital Impact Alliance Managing Director and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institute Priya Vora as well as CTO of EkStep Foundation, and ex-Chief Architect of Aadhaar Pramod Verma.
The side event on Green Development is set to be organized in partnership with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in India (UNRC) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The side-event will provide in-depth perspectives on global efforts required to drive a new vision of green development, one that maximizes synergies in efforts to achieve developmental and environmental goals through a conducive and revamped international environment and a policy framework that is adaptive, proactive, and responsive to the needs and challenges of developing countries.
The Green Development side event will be addressed by Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Centre for Sustainable Development, Columbia University; Avinash Persaud, Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados on Investment and Financial Services and member, Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance and other panelists. India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant will also lead discussions with the G20 Troika comprising India, Indonesia and Brazil. He will meet with G20 Sherpas and heads of delegations of G20 members, invitees and international organizations, including the Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) to discuss issues pertinent to the Global South and from the Advanced Economies (AEs) on shared priorities and mutually beneficial ways forward.
The delegates will be hosted for ‘Charchayum Aaharavum’ (Conversations over Dinner) and cultural programmes, a mini Thrissur Pooram experience, a traditional Onam Sadhya lunch, and Chaya Vallom (Tea on Boat) among other experiences. These experiences will give the G20 delegates a unique opportunity to enjoy the rich cultural heritage and diverse cuisine of Kerala. The MEA in the press release noted that India has selected its G20 priorities considering the diverse global challenges of the day, the concerns of developing countries and the need for greater momentum for collective action to take forward the shared international agenda, especially the development and environment agenda.
India’s G20 theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – “One Earth. One Family. One Future” encapsulates the shared vision of the G20 for galvanising wide support and reaching decisive, ambitious, inclusive and action-oriented outcomes. These outcomes require the G20 to come together and act as one family to instil hope. Ongoing deliberations during India’s G20 Presidency include Green Development, Climate Finance and Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth, accelerating progress on sustainable development goals (SDGs), technological transformation and digital public infrastructure, multilateral institutions for the 21st century and women-led development.
These priorities demonstrate the needs of the Global South which were articulated by 125 participating countries at the first-ever Voice of Global South summit, according to MEA press release. The Voice of Global South Summit was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023. Notably, the first G20 Sherpa meeting was held in Udaipur in December. The meeting witnessed active participation by G20 Members, nine guest countries and 14 international organizations. The first G20 Sherpa meeting had set the tone for forthcoming meetings in 32 different G20 workstreams, including the Sherpa Track, Finance Track and Engagement Groups, according to MEA press release. The substantive discussions on prevailing global challenges, and the warm hospitality with the motto ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, resonated throughout the G20 Sherpas meeting and were highly appreciated by all delegates.
