WORLD NEWS | India witnesses highest participation in Africa during G20 presidency

New York [US]May 10 (ANI): India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, said Africa’s participation during India’s G20 presidency has hit a record high.

In recent years, the G20 has consistently focused on Africa. However, India’s G20 presidency is unique given its track record in amplifying the voices and concerns of the global south and developing countries.

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The Ambassador made this point in his speech at the ECOSOC 2023 Financing for Development Forum. The 2023 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FfD) will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 17-20 April.

Furthermore, the numerous G20 meetings in India are also grappling with the challenges of the Global South and the world at large. With its “Voice of the Global South Summit” and other initiatives, India has successfully represented the issues, concerns and aspirations of the African region on a larger scale.

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India’s priorities such as inclusive digital infrastructure and climate change and various issues it is considering such as multilateral reforms, food and energy security, counter-terrorism, emerging threats, global skills mapping and disaster risk reduction, Africa Regions are of particular interest, writes NewsonAir.

It is worth noting that the progress made by the G20 in the fields of health and education is also of great significance to African countries. Prioritizing the reform of multilateral development banks is another issue of critical importance to India and the global South. Furthermore, as Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj stated, “Digital technology can be a key tool for inclusion, advancing governance, better service delivery and promoting inclusion at all levels of society.” The G20 has been committed to prioritizing digital public infrastructure and digital skills field.

Africa represents the voice of some 1.37 billion people and excluding them from decision-making is not conducive to sustainable global economic growth.

According to a report by Observer Research Foundation Gurjit Singh, India’s G20 presidency has the potential to further India’s Africa policy. A revamped Africa policy will see India’s G20 presidency become the voice of the Global South (VOGS).

The successful Indo-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS III), in which all 54 African countries participated, undertook the reinvigoration of Africa policy under Modi. Modi’s visit to Africa in 2016 and 2018 and the 10 principles for Africa proposed in Uganda in 2018 are important initiatives. These need to be reassessed post-pandemic and post-Ukrainian crisis. Signs of this were evident in the visits of the Foreign Minister (EAM) to Uganda and Mozambique. During his attendance at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in South Africa, he will also have the opportunity to visit other African countries.

As India is the voice of the global South, it is especially important to speak out for Africa. Africa is deeply affected by the epidemic and the conflict in Ukraine. African countries’ participation in the VOGS summit demonstrated their aspirations and the potential to realize them through India’s G20 presidency.

India and Africa have a long and prosperous partnership with deep cultural and historical ties. NewsonAir highlighted that the principles of anti-colonial solidarity, diaspora goodwill and “South-South” cooperation also play an important role in strengthening the partnership between India and the African continent.

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar said that India believes that Africa’s growth and progress are inherent in global rebalancing itself, which proves that Africa’s development is of great significance to India’s foreign policy.

It is worth noting that India’s engagement with Africa has been consistent and regular in recent years. India has allocated Rs 2.5 billion for African countries in its 2023-24 budget.

In addition, the bilateral trade volume between India and Africa in 2021-22 is about 89.5 billion U.S. dollars, and the cumulative investment in 1996-2021 is 73.9 billion U.S. dollars, making India among the top five investing countries in Africa. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)