First session of G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meet commences on multilateralism

On Thursday, the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting began with a session on multilateralism, food and energy security, and development cooperation. The discussion will bring to life India’s G20 Presidency theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future,’ which emphasizes the importance of unity of purpose and unity of action.

“Towards realizing the vision of One Earth, One Family, One Future. Session I of #G20FMM gets underway. Discussions to focus on contemporary challenges around multilateralism, food & energy security and development cooperation,” tweeted the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Earlier in the day, speaking to G20 foreign delegates ahead of their meeting in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted that discussions about the Russia-Ukraine conflict should not derail the summit’s agenda.

“As foreign ministers, it is but natural that your discussions are affected by the geopolitical tensions of the day,” said PM Modi.

“We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved… We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can,” he added. He emphasized that as the world’s leading economies, we bear responsibility for those who are not in this room.

“As the leading economies, we also have a responsibility towards those who are not in this room. The world looks upon the G20 to ease the challenges of growth, development, economic resilience, financial stability, corruption, terrorism, and food and energy security,” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister stated that the G20 has the ability to build consensus and deliver tangible results in all of these areas. He emphasized that resolutions for issues that cannot be addressed together should not obstruct those that can.

Underlining that the meeting is taking place in the land of Gandhi and the Buddha, PM Modi urged the excellencies to draw inspiration from India’s civilizational ethos of focusing not on what divides us, but on what unites us all.

“As we meet in the land of Gandhi and Buddha, I pray that you will draw inspiration from India’s civilization ethos to focus on what unites us and not on what divides us,” said PM Modi.

He said that India’s G20 Presidency has tried to give a voice to the Global South.

“After years of progress, we are at risk today of moving back on the Sustainable Development Goals. Many developing countries are struggling with unsustainable debt while trying to ensure food and energy security for their people. They are also the ones most affected by global warming caused by richer countries. This is why India’s G20 Presidency tried to give a voice to the Global South. No group can claim global leadership without listening to those most affected by its decisions,” said PM Modi.

Observing that stable economies had been suddenly overrun by debt and financial crises, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of resilience in our societies, economies, healthcare systems, and infrastructure.

“The G20 has a critical role to play in finding the right balance between growth and efficiency on one hand and resilience on the other”, the Prime Minister remarked. He suggested that by working together, this balance can be achieved more easily. In conclusion, the Prime Minister expressed confidence in the collective wisdom and ability and expressed hope that today’s meeting will be ambitious, inclusive, and action-oriented, with resolutions made while rising above differences.