Modi Chairs Virtual G20 Meeting; Russia's Putin Joins In

and other nations had called for in recent weeks. He also reiterated his call for the immediate release of all hostages. The Prime Minister and other G20 leaders exchanged views on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

PM Trudeau stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza and ensure unimpeded access to lifesaving humanitarian aid. The Prime Minister condemned the disturbing rise in Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Arab discrimination.

PM Modi said that terrorism was not acceptable and at the same time civilian deaths have to be condemned.

"India is ready to work in the joint efforts to find a solution to the conflict and restore peace… terrorism and violence has to be opposed," he added. The Prime Minister said it was important to work together to prevent the war from spreading into a wider geopolitical conflict in the region.

PM Modi also raised concerns over the misuse of AI (artificial intelligence) and emphasised the need to work jointly to tackle the danger posed by deepfakes to soiety and the people. "AI should be introduced responsibly so that it reaches the people but it must be safe for society," he added

The Prime Minister said that the G20 under India's presidency has increased faith in multilateralism and the problems confronting the Gobal South have been brought to the centre stage.

"The countries of the Global South are facing difficulties for which they are not responsible so the need of the hour is to support the development agenda for them," he said. There is a need for better, effective and future-ready reforms to provide assistance to the needy countries.

The 2030 self development goals (SDGs) should be expedited as the world unites to fight climate change. Concrete steps would have to be taken at the forthcoming COP28 meeting, he added.

PM Modi also highlighted that India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiative which can play a crucial role in the delivery of services at a societal scale has gained acceptance and several countries had come on board in the G20 discussions.

PM Modi said that India would be making a contribution of $25 million as part of the fund to push the social initiative and other countries were invited to join this effort. He also pointed out that India's

local level aspiration district programme had been highly successful in lifting crores of people out of poverty and he invited other countries to take a look at the example.

As part of building a strong, healthy future for people around the world, PM Trudeau further noted the importance of supporting and reforming multilateral development banks (MDBs) to improve the ability of low-and middle-income countries to access the financing they need to confront overlapping crises. He also stressed the importance of accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the role that advancing gender equality and protecting women’s rights play in creating economic growth. He also emphasized the importance of collective G20 action to address the crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

The Prime Minister also reiterated the importance of digital inclusion, to ensure everyone can access, use, and benefit from digital technologies, and that technological advances should empower citizens to succeed in the global economy. He raised the need to ensure digital spaces and artificial intelligence technologies are safe, trustworthy, and responsible.

Prime Minister Trudeau condemned Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, called for Russia to be held to account, and stressed that the most vulnerable worldwide are affected most by the war’s global impacts. He reemphasized the importance of abiding by the rule of law and encouraged Member States to denounce the irresponsible actions of Russia.

PM Trudeau reaffirmed the importance of the G20 as a forum for international collaboration and a space to engage constructively when issues arise.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was a surprise attendee and he said he desired peace in Europe.