Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarking on a three-day tour to Johannesburg on Friday, where he will participate in the G20 meeting. The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries and attend the IBSA meeting.
Secretary (ER) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Sudhakar Dalela said that the South African Summit has an echo of the priorities recognised during the Indian presidency of the G20 Summit.
‘Food security and disaster risk management are priorities’
In a special briefing by MEA on Prime Minister’s visit to South Africa, Dalela said that in this Summit, food security and disaster risk management are at the fore of priorities.
“The Johannesburg G20 Summit will mark the culmination of first cycle of 20 G20 Presidencies. The priorities identified by South Africa are aligned with those of India’s G20 Presidency and that of Brazil, ensuring continuity in G20 discussions from the perspective of matters that are important to Global South,” he said.
‘Presidency focuses on global south issues’
Dalela said that the presidency focuses on the issues of global south, which has trickled down from the previous presidencies of the countries from the Global South.
“The Indian G20 Presidency had established a disaster risk reduction working group, signifying the importance India attaches to the matter, South African presidency has carried forward the work related to the disaster risk reduction and resilience as key priorities at its own presidency. Similarly, through the task force and food security that South African presidency has carried forward the dialogue on this important challenge as well. The South African presidency has in a way continued focus on issues of importance to global south,” he said.
G20 agenda continues from New Delhi
Priorities from the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration like digital public infrastructure, women-led development, the action plan to accelerate progress on SDGs, were carried forward in the Johannesburg Summit.
“The New Delhi’s leaders’ declaration had provided a strong basis of many of the G20 outcome documents adopted this year in the various ministerial tracts. The Indian Presidency’s flagship priorities sets as digitial public infrastructure, women-led development, the action plan to accelerate progress on SDGs, as well as key outcomes of the working group from last year including disaster risk reduction, working group and empowerment of women working group, initiated by India has found strong resonance in South African Presidency,” he said.
Dalela then said that Deccan high level principles on food security have been reinforced in these outcomes.
“Furthermore, the Deccan high level principles on food security and nutrition, commitment to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency are some of the other key outcomes that have been reinforced in the course of discussion this year on different tracks in the South Presidency,” he said.
(With ANI Inputs)
