FOCUS ON UNITY...

Though the G20 has a structured agenda, counterterrorism remains an important issue for India and will be raised within the grouping at forums such as the foreign ministers’ meeting. On the finance track of the G20, the focus will be on ensuring inclusive and resilient growth following the global impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the people said.

India’s start of the presidency on Thursday will be marked by several people-centric activities, ranging from a “University Connect” programme involving students from 75 institutions that will be addressed by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, to lighting up 100 monuments across the country with the G20 logo, which draws inspiration from the colours of the national flag — saffron, white and green – and juxtaposes the planet earth with the lotus to reflect a proplanet approach.

The theme for India’s G20 presidency – “One Earth, One Family, One Future” – highlights the importance of having an approach that unites the world to address the future together, and of meeting the expectations of developing countries with regard to global challenges such as climate action. Addressing the final session of the G20 Summit in Bali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the country’s presidency will be “inclusive, ambitious, decisive and actionoriented”.

“We have to bring about unity, not divisiveness, at a time when the Global South is expecting the G20 will respond to global issues,” one of the people cited above said. “In our presidency, we will try to get a level of unity that can address the most challenging and pressing issues and we will keep divisiveness to a minimum level.”

This includes divisions between the West and Russia over the Ukraine conflict, and India will act as a bridge so that G20 members can tackle pressing larger issues such as economic growth, indebtedness of countries and reviving the momentum for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

“We will need to engage