New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong pitch for expansion of the UN Security Council and reforms in all global institutions, asserting that they should reflect the world’s “new realities” as it is nature’s law that those who don’t change with times, lose relevance.

As curtains came down on the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Modi also proposed a virtual session of the bloc around the end of November to take stock of the suggestions and decisions made at the leaders’ summit.

At the concluding session, Prime Minister Modi handed over the gavel and offered best wishes to Brazil for the next presidency. Brazil will officially take over the mantle of the presidency of the elite grouping on December 1 this year.

Echoing Prime Minister Modi’s pitch at an earlier session for reforms in global institutions, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the UN Security Council needs new developing countries as permanent and non-permanent members to regain political strength.

“We want greater representation for emerging countries at the World Bank and the IMF,” he said.

Speaking at the ‘One Future’ session during the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Modi made a fresh push for reforms in global institutions, including the United Nations.

“In order to take the world towards a better future, it is necessary that the global systems are according to the present realities. Today, the ‘United Nations Security Council’ is also an example of this. When the UN was established, the world was completely different from what it is today. At that time there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today the number of countries included in the UN is around 200,” Prime Minister Modi said.

“Despite this, the number of permanent members in the UNSC remains the same. The world has since changed a lot in every aspect. Be it transport, communication, health and education, every sector has been transformed. These new realities should reflect in our new global structure,” he said.

The UNSC has five permanent members – the US, China, France, Britain and Russia.

He noted that many regional groupings have emerged and proved effective in the last many years and said that it calls for reflection.

Pitching for reforms, he said that is why a historic initiative was made on Saturday by making the African Union a member of the G20.

“Similarly, we also need to expand the mandate of multilateral development banks. Our decisions in this direction should be immediate and effective,” the prime minister said.

Later, at the concluding session, Prime Minister Modi extended full support to Brazil and expressed confidence that the Brazilian presidency of the G20 will take forward the shared goals of the bloc.

“India passes the gavel to Brazil. We have unwavering faith that they will lead with dedication, vision and will further global unity as well as prosperity,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi also proposed a virtual G20 session by November-end to take stock of the suggestions and decisions made at the Leaders’ Summit.

“In the last two days, you have put forward your views, given suggestions and a number of proposals have been put forward. It is our responsibility that the suggestions that have come forth are closely looked upon as to how they can be speeded up,” Prime Minister Modi said.

“It is my proposal that we hold another session of the G20 virtually in November- end. In that session, we can review the issues that have been agreed upon during this summit. Our teams will share the details of it with all of you. I hope all of you will join this (session),” he said.

“With this, I declare the G20 summit as closed,” Prime Minister Modi said.

In his remarks at the ‘One Future’ session, Prime Minister Modi also described cyber security and cryptocurrencies as among the burning issues affecting the present and future of the world.

Cryptocurrency is a new subject for social order, and monetary and financial stability, he said, seeking the development of global standards to regulate it.

Cyberspace has emerged as a new source of funding for terrorism and global cooperation and framework are necessary for securing it, he said. “This is a very important subject for every country’s security and prosperity,” he added.

“When we take care of the security and sensitivity of every country, then the feeling of ‘One Future’ will be strengthened,” he said.

Noting that the world is witnessing unimaginable scale and speed in new-generation technology, he cited Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an example and said G20 countries need to go beyond the “Principles on AI” adopted by the bloc in 2019.

“I suggest we establish a framework for ‘responsible human-centric AI governance’. India will also give its suggestions. It will be our effort that all countries get the benefits of AI in areas like socio-economic development, global workforce, and research and development,” he said.

Highlighting his push for a human-centric vision instead of a GDP-centric approach, he said India has expressed its willingness to share data of its lunar mission with everyone in the interest of humanity. “It is also a proof of our commitment towards human-centric growth.” He said the world needs to go beyond the concept of “global village” to make “global family” a reality, calling for a future in which not only the interests of the countries are aligned but also their hearts.

In a fast-changing world, sustainability and stability are as much needed as transformation, he said.

Later, Prime Minister Modi posted on X, “Simply having a GDP-centric approach is outdated. Time has come to adopt a human-centric vision of progress. India has been making several efforts in this regard, particularly in areas relating to data and technology. We must do whatever we can to use AI for socio-economic development.” “As we pursue our development trajectories, we must keep our focus on sustainability and stability. This will ensure empowerment of the marginalised,” Prime Minister Modi said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that India has worked with the spirit of “one family” to make development sustainable and inclusive by making technology a bridge as he called upon G20 members to build a global support system with similar sentiments to bring together every country, class and region.

In his remarks during the “One Family” session, Prime Minister Modi emphasised ways to further youth development with a focus on skill development, and pitched for women-led development which will be an instrument of a big global transformation in the 21st century. Women leadership is visible in every sector in India now, he said.

Nearly 45 per cent of graduates in science, technology, mathematics and engineering in India are girls, he said.

He urged for measures to deal with the debt crisis affecting developing countries with sensitivity by working with the mantra of “one family”. “We will have to create a system so that countries enveloped by this crisis can come out of it and which rules out such a crisis in future,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi expressed his happiness at the agreement to boost financial help to these countries under the “Action Plan to Accelerate Sustainable Development Goals”.

Making three suggestions, he said the world’s leading sports leagues should invest five per cent of their earnings in sports infrastructure for women in countries in the Global South. 

“It could be a new kind of model for public-private partnership at the global level.” A special category of “G20 Talent Visa” can also be started to help talents in the field of science and technology explore global opportunities.

Establishing global bio-banks under the supervision of the WHO can also be considered, and these can focus on heart diseases, sickle cell anaemia and breast cancer, he said, adding that India will be happy to create one such bank.

Pitching for a global supply chain which boosts trust and transparency, he said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the existing supply chain.

“While speaking of ‘one family’ we will have to take care of challenges confronting our global family. We can’t look at countries and humanity only as markets. We need sensitivity and a long-term approach,” he told the meeting of G20 leaders.

He said the capacity building of developing countries needed to be paid special attention, asserting that the mapping framework proposed by India will help in strengthening the existing supply chain.

Prime Minister Modi underscored the importance of small businesses and said it is important that they get access to markets and information to keep their trade costs low.

Highlighting India’s use of technology to make development more inclusive, he spoke of the JAM trinity of opening Jan Dhan bank accounts and the use of Aadhaar and mobile for developing a “new model of targeted interventions”.

The prime minister noted that the World Bank has said that it has resulted in financial inclusion in six years which would have otherwise taken 47 years. India has transferred USD 360 billion to bank accounts directly in the last 10 years through this approach, he said.

It also prevented the leakage of USD 33 billion, which is 1.25 per cent of the GDP, he added.

“This model can definitely prove to be very useful for the world, especially the Global South,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also pitched for promoting holistic health and wellness and expressed confidence that India will soon make efforts to become a global repository of traditional medicine. The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine being built in India will boost efforts to promote wellness globally, he added.

Addressing the summit, he also spoke on how to collectively think about empowering fellow humans and making the planet more inclusive as well as sustainable.

He said on X that at the “One Family” session of the summit, he emphasised ways to further youth development and focus on skill development.

“Also highlighted how to increase the spirit of trust and transparency in areas like global supply chains. India is also committed to furthering holistic health and wellness. The G20 can also play a big role in furthering the empowerment of women,” he said.

At the One Family Session of the G20 Summit, the prime minister elaborated on how to collectively think about empowering fellow humans and making our planet more inclusive as well as sustainable.

He gave the example of how technology has been leveraged to bring a positive difference in the lives of our citizens.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)