‘New realities’: PM pushes for UNSC seat

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a “human-centric vision” instead of a “GDP-centric approach”, expansion of permanent membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and a “future where not just the interests of countries are intertwined, but also where hearts are interconnected.” After the final session titled “One Future” on the last day of the G20 Summit, the Prime Minister proposed a virtual meeting of the G20 towards the end of November to review the topics discussed during the summit.

Even though India will continue to hold the presidency of the G20 bloc till November 30, the Prime Minister symbolically handed over the gavel to Brazil’s President Lula da Silva to mark the transition of the G20 presidency to Brazil later this year.

The summit, which ended on Sunday, saw India skillfully achieve a stunning consensus, particularly on the wording of the contentious Ukraine issue. “May the path toward One Earth, One Family, One Future be pleasant. Let there be hope and peace in the world. With the well-wishes of 140 crore Indians, I express our sincere gratitude to all of you! With these words, I officially conclude this G20 Summit,” Modi said. He cited a Sanskrit shloka to pray for hope and peace in the entire world.

Speaking earlier in the day at the “One Future” session, the Prime Minister called for reform of multilateral institutions such as the UN, stating, “It is necessary that global systems are in accordance with the realities of the present. Today, the ‘UNSC’ is also an example of this.

When the UN was established, the world at the time was completely different from today. At that time, there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today, the number of countries included in the UN is around 200. Despite this, the permanent members in UNSC are still the same.

From then until today, the world has changed a lot in every aspect. Be it transport, communication, health or education, every sector has been transformed. These new realities should be reflected in our new global structure.”

“As you are aware, India holds the G20 Presidency till November. There are still two and a half months left. In these two days, all of you have put forth many things, given suggestions, made many proposals. It is our responsibility to once again look at the suggestions that have come forward, to see how their progress can be accelerated. I propose that we hold another virtual session of the G20 Summit at the end of November. In that session, we can review the topics decided during this summit. Our team will share the details of all these with you all. I hope you all will join in this,” Modi told G20 leaders during the closing ceremony.

“We pledge our unwavering support to Brazil and firmly believe that during their leadership, the G20 will further advance our common objectives. I congratulate the President of Brazil and my friend, Lula da Silva. With that, I pass on the presidency to him.”

“It is a law of nature that individuals and organisations that fail to adapt to changing times inevitably lose their relevance. We must think with an open mind as to what is the reason that many regional forums have come into existence in the past years, and are also proving to be effective. Today, it is necessary for every global organization to reform to increase its relevance. With this in mind, yesterday we took the historic initiative of making the African Union a permanent member of the G20. Similarly, we will also have to expand the mandate of Multilateral Development Banks. Our decisions in this direction should be immediate and also effective,” Modi remarked.

The Prime Minister further said, “Only when we take care of the security of every country and the sensitivity of every country, will the feeling of One Future be strengthened. In a world marked by rapid change, we require not only transformation but also sustainability and stability. Come! Let us pledge that we will take our resolutions of the green development pact, action plan on SDGs, high level principles on anti-corruption, digital public infrastructure and MDB reforms to fruition.”

“We are currently discussing a future where we transcend the concept of Global Village and witness the Global Family becoming a reality. Today many countries like India have so much that we are sharing with the whole world. … I propose that we establish a framework for Responsible Human-Centric AI governance. India will also give its suggestions in this regard. It will be our endeavor that all countries get the benefits of AI in areas like Socio-Economic Development, Global Workforce and R&D,” Modi said.

Talking about India’s achievements, the Prime Minister said, “India has talked about sharing the data of Chandrayaan-3 mission with everyone in the interest of humanity. This is also a proof of our commitment towards Human Centric Growth. India has harnessed technology to foster inclusive development and facilitate last-mile delivery. Even in our most remote villages, small-scale traders are using digital payments. I am happy that under India's presidency, a strong framework for digital public infrastructure has been agreed upon.

Similarly, G20 principles on harnessing data for development have also been accepted. It has also been decided to launch "data for development capacity building initiative” for the development of Global South. Formation of Startup 20 engagement group India’s presidency is also a big step.”

“Today, our world is also facing some burning issues, which are affecting both the present and the future of all countries. We are familiar with the challenges of cyber security and crypto-currency. The field of crypto currency has emerged as a new topic for everyone. Therefore, we have to develop global standards to regulate crypto-currencies. We have the Basel standards on bank regulation in front of us as a model. It is imperative that we take concrete steps in this direction as soon as possible. Likewise, global cooperation and a framework for cyber security are essential. Terrorism is exploiting new channels and new funding methods from the cyber world, making it a critical issue for the security and prosperity of every nation.”