India's G20 presidency comes at a challenging time amid the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the country can surely work hard to transform those challenges into opportunities, India's G20 presidency Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla told NDTV in an interview.
"Developing countries are facing the brunt of a difficult global situation. So yes, there are challenges and there are opportunities. The Prime Minister has correctly pointed out that every challenge can be transformed into an opportunity. That's how we see our (G20) presidency," Mr Shringla said.
"We see our presidency as very critical, coming at a critical stage. There is an expectation among the global community that India has made its mark in many ways on the global scenario. We will be able to provide elements of what could be solutions to global challenges of the day," Mr Shringla told NDTV.
India took over the G20 presidency in December last year. It will hold the title till November 30. The G20 consists of two parallel tracks - the finance track and the sherpa track. These working groups meet regularly throughout the term of each presidency. In addition, there are engagement groups that bring together civil societies, parliamentarians, think tanks, etc.
"Our priorities in the G20 will largely be determined by what the international community is looking for," he added.
India's G20 presidency enables it to propose and set the agenda for the year. The G20 members can then add their inputs to the agenda that India has set, Mr Shringla said.
"In other words, India today has the opportunity to set its agenda, its narrative on the global agenda. And that is important for us," he said.
The G20 represent 85 per cent of the global gross domestic product, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the world's population.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar at the 'G20 University Connect Event' in December said India's G20 presidency is taking place at a very critical moment in international affairs. Over the last three years, the world has seen the economic and social devastation caused by the Covid pandemic, quite apart from its human toll.
"It has aggravated the financial situation of developing countries, undermined the pursuit of sustainable development goals, and created a health divide between the developed and the developing. To this was added the knock-on effects of the Ukraine conflict, especially the difficulties in the availability and affordability of fuel, of food, of fertilizers," Mr Jaishankar had said.
India, however, will work to provide a stronger voice to the issues of interest of the Global South. "This is very much a part of our DNA," the Foreign Minister later told the Rajya Sabha in the winter session.
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