As India gears up to chair the crucial G20 Summit in New Delhi over the weekend, Prime Minister Modi emphasised India's philosophy of a universal family beyond borders and how it translated into a call for human-centric progress during the country's G20 Presidency. In a column for the Indian Express, the Prime Minister elaborated on how India's Presidency played the role of a catalyst in the shifts in global order in a post-pandemic world.
First, explaining India's vision, he said, "'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' — these two words capture a deep philosophy. The phrase means 'the world is one family'. This is an all-embracing outlook that encourages us to progress as one universal family, transcending borders, languages, and ideologies. During India’s G20 Presidency, this has translated into a call for human-centric progress."
Explaining the change in the world order after the Covid pandemic and the changes thereafter, PM Modi wrote, "There are three important changes, among others. First, there is a growing realisation that a shift away from a GDP-centric view of the world to a human-centric view is needed. Second, the world is recognising the importance of resilience and reliability in global supply chains. Third, there is a collective call for boosting multilateralism through the reform of global institutions."
"Our G20 Presidency has played the role of a catalyst in these shifts," he added.
He said that when India took over the reins of G20 from Indonesia in December last year, he wrote 'that a mindset shift must be catalysed by the G20', adding that it was needed to bring the marginalised aspirations of developing countries, the Global South and Africa to the mainstream.
"The Voice of Global South Summit, which witnessed participation from 125 countries, was one of the foremost initiatives under our Presidency. It was an important exercise to gather inputs and ideas from the Global South. Further, our Presidency has not only seen the largest-ever participation from African countries but has also pushed for the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20," he wrote in the column.
He said that an interconnected world means our challenges across domains are interlinked.
Writing on India's approach toward climate action, PM Modi wrote, "In India, living in harmony with nature has been a norm since ancient times and we have been contributing our share towards climate action even in modern times."
"We believe there is a need to move away from a purely restrictive attitude of what should not be done, to a more constructive attitude focusing on what can be done to fight climate change," he added.
India's Growing Economy 'No Accident'
Shedding light on India's growing economy he asserted that it was no accident. He said. "That India is the fastest-growing large economy is no accident. Our simple, scalable and sustainable solutions have empowered the vulnerable and the marginalised to lead our development story."
Highlighting the role played by Indian women in the country's growth story, he said, "From space to sports, economy to entrepreneurship, Indian women have taken the lead in various sectors. They have shifted the narrative from the development of women to women-led development. Our G20 Presidency is working on bridging the gender digital divide, reducing labour force participation gaps and enabling a larger role for women in leadership and decision-making."
"For India, the G20 Presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour. As the Mother of Democracy and a model of diversity, we opened the doors of this experience to the world," he said.