NEW DELHI: India will throw its weight behind Brazil to forge a consensus at the G20 leaders meeting next week against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions and New Delhi will press for progress on issues linked to debt, climate and gender, a top official said on Sunday.
“We will do our best to assist and support Brazil much like Brazil had supported us. We will do our best to bring the emerging markets on board,” Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 sherpa, told TOI in an interview.
Leaders from the G20 group of developed and emerging economies will meet in Rio de Janeiro on Nov 18-19 along with the African Union and European Union amid the tense geopolitical situation with the Russia-Ukraine war and the situation in West Asia expected to cast a shadow on the success of the summit. Prime minister Narendra Modi will be attending the summit. Deep divisions among some emerging economies and the G7 on the issue of the situation in West Asia have also emerged as a stumbling block to forge a consensus.
“The three priorities of the Brazilian presidency are fight against hunger and poverty, sustainable development and energy transition and global governance reform,” said Kant, adding that it will also witness the launch of the global alliance against hunger and poverty, which India has strongly backed along with other members of the group.
“India is pushing the voice of the Global South and India is emerging as a leader which is carrying all the concerns of the Global South. We are also pushing for technology in a very big way. The legacy of India’s New Delhi leaders’ declaration and outcomes have been carried forward in all working groups.”
New Delhi is also pushing for progress on climate finance and has outlined its position that it needs to be significantly enhanced from “billions to trillions” dollars to combat climate change and a mechanism needs to be set up to track the financing needs of countries. It is also pushing for low-cost concessional financing for developing countries but officials say that the discussions on climate at the summit would be “contentious.”
While India has strongly backed progress on issues linked to gender as outlined in the New Delhi Leader’s declaration, some countries have taken a “conservative approach” and so far have adopted a tough stance on the issue. The G7 is also pushing for what it calls “forward looking language” on the topic.
Kant said India will also call for “bold reforms” of the multilateral trading system, including the World Trade Organisation, which can help push sustainable economic growth and trigger economic resurgence and lead to a “more inclusive, prosperous and interconnected world.”
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