My Vision for G20 Presidency – Sreedarshan Elankumar

In this day and age; diplomacy, politics and selfishness have an iron grip on
our Earth as a whole. As countries and governments around the world look toward
the gain of their people at the cost of other countries, there are only a few
organisations that act as intermediators to reduce the number of conflicts and
economic downturns. One such organisation is the G20. G20 literally stands for
group of 20, this group is made up of 19 member nations as well as the European
Union. Moreover, these summits are a rare occasion where the world’s most
powerful men and women meet to discuss topics relating to climate change,
sustainable development, economics, and trade. Therefore, this essay delves into
my vision for India’s G20 presidency and about the importance of G20.

Firstly, the G20 has addressed various incremental issues such as money
laundering, tax evasion and climate change. The motto of G20 summit 2023 is
‘Vasudha Iva Kutumba am’ or the ‘World is One Family’, this statement could not be
any truer as us, as tensions begin to flare in all parts of the world it is necessary for
some moments of truce in this battlefield. First of all, this is worth considering that
this summit will be held in India. It is the first time that this summit is being hosted in
India and South Asia as a whole.

Some of my main wishes and ideas for India’s G20 presidency are for more
Indians to get educated about this summit and be proud of it. One reason behind this
is the fact that this annual summit is not getting nearly the amount of TV and news
coverage that it should be getting. All delegates who are flying in from foreign
countries should be given a king’s welcome like the ones that many Arabian kings
got in India’s rich and ancient heritage. Our country should flourish under this
spotlight that many countries don’t have the privilege of hosting. This year it’s going
to be held in New Delhi specifically Pragati maidan in the Eastern part of New Delhi.
Journalists have easy access to this conference centre via the gem of India’s metro
networks, the Delhi metro with the Supreme court metro station just a few blocks
away. With the introduction of metro systems in Pune and Kanpur with many more
planned our presidency should be used as a stepping stone to create more urban
transit lines in areas of key interest to reduce our already hectic traffic congestion
and improve our air quality as well as drastically improving the standards of living in
many tier II cities.

This conference should be used as a stepping stone to showcase how vibrant

and colourful India is, as well as using this special occasion to improve our
infrastructure nationwide. India is still widely seen as an underdeveloped country and
this should be used as a golden opportunity to break this stereotype. In terms of
events of global significance more and more such events are taking place in India
such as World Chess Olympiad, ICC Cricket Championship and the FIFA under 17
World cup as well as economic and diplomatic events such as the G20. My own view
on the matter is that we use these occasions to showcase India and make all Indians
Proud. India also holds the honour of being the world’s fastest growing economy and
I, personally hope that we can retain this title for the near future using carefully
planned and well thought – out strategies.

With respect to the ongoing war in Ukraine which was unnecessarily caused
by Russian aggression, is causing a bottleneck in international trade and cargo.
Russia is an active member of G20 as well as the G8 and this war has caused
sanctions to fall on the already stagnating economy of Russia and in turn causing
major economic downturns in not only Russia but also its allies such as Belarus and
China. Powerful countries that are adversaries of Russia such as United Kingdom,
United States of America and the European Union have threatened to levy sanctions
on India and China for not taking action against Russia. In my opinion India should
withdraw its neutral position to become a neutral ally to all interested parties. Our
inaction on this topic is hurting us badly and the G20 conference should be the
perfect stage to announce that we have cut our ties with Russia. During World War
two the only country in western Europe that wasn’t invaded by Nazi Germany or
Fascist Italy was Switzerland which followed and continues to follow a policy of
international neutrality on an extreme scale. India should study Switzerland’s
situation and mimic their strategy using modern technology.

Conflicts in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Latin America which have been

caused by economic instability and poor political leadership in said countries has led
to the birth of terrorist organisations such as the Taliban and MS-13. These
organisations have led to a vicious cycle where countries are ravaged, destroyed
and looted until it leads to total anarchy. This is where organisations such as G20
can prop up governments and help rekindle a country’s lost spark. As Franklin
Delano Roosevelt once said “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of
their own minds” our G20 presidency should help consolidate stable, sincere and
secure governments all round the world. India should use our presidency to
showcase our economic stability and growth as a benchmark that other countries
should envy to achieve.

The global economy is shrinking and inflation is at an all-time high which is

causing the astronomically high debt of major countries such as Italy, Japan and The
USA to cause burdens on the entire global market. Economic mismanagement and
Poor leadership in many countries is causing many countries to fall into a nationwide
debt trap. International debt is controlled and monitored by multinational
organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the G20. India should
rival China’s current position as the world’s leading lender and I propose that we
ramp up our diplomatic alliances with all countries and increase our overall presence
in the global scene.

Our import culture should be discouraged and India should aim to become the
most favourable place to manufacture goods and export to markets all over the
world. Our presidency should be used as the golden opportunity to showcase our
manufacturing might and technological prowess. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it
was India not any other country that supplied vaccines and other medical equipment
sometimes free of charge to other countries as a way of showing our gratitude. Our
major homegrown companies should get opportunities showcase their products at
our presidency and hopefully increase our gross domestic product in the long run.

I personally believe that some of the following strategies that should be

prioritized by India and voiced during our G20 presidency are; Sustainable
development paths: India can lead programmes based on renewable energy, climate
change mitigation and natural resource conservation. Supporting the clean energy
transition and fostering green innovation will demonstrate India's commitment to the
future.
 Digital Transformation: Given India's strength in IT, the country can advocate
for policies that promote digital inclusion and help develop digital skills globally. This
could include initiatives to bridge the digital divide, strengthen cybersecurity
measures, and promote digital commerce.

Financial Inclusion: India's financial inclusion experience such as

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana can be shared with other G20 countries.
India should advocate for policies that expand the underserved's access to financial
services, provide them with job opportunities and reduce inequality.

Health Security: India has done a great job in healthcare, especially in the
pharmaceutical industry. India should become a priority for leaders to improve global
health security, ensure equal access to medicines and vaccines, and improve
healthcare in developing countries.

Women's Empowerment: India should advocate for policies that promote

gender equality and women's empowerment. This can contribute to increasing
women's labour force participation, closing the gender pay gap, and addressing
social and cultural issues for women's advancement. By focusing on these areas,
India will demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development, technological
growth, inclusive policies and international cooperation to have a long-term impact
on the G20 agenda and what better a time to do it than our G20 presidency.

All things considered, I personally believe that we are on the correct path and
that we should keep traversing this path in order to improve our status as a country
in the world using tools such as our G20 presidency. To conclude my essay, I want to
share two quotes from Mr. John. F. Kennedy “We have the power to make this the
best generation of mankind in the history of the world or make it the last.” “Economic
growth without social progress lets the great majority of people remain in poverty,
while a privileged few reap the benefits of rising abundance.”