PM joins G20 Summit in New Delhi

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the "G20 Summit" that began on Saturday morning with the participation of the leaders from the group of 20 major economies of the world.

Earlier, the Bangladesh premier was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her arrival at the summit venue.

Sheikh Hasina is attending the summit at Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre of Pragati Maidan at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The 18th summit is a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

 At the summit, the G20 leaders would discuss and find solutions to several key global issues including digital transformation, climate financing, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), food security, the economic and social impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks.

World leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are joining the event.

Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to attend different sessions and deliver two speeches under the main theme of the summit "One Earth, One Family, One Future".

During "One Earth" and "One Family" sessions, the Bangladesh premier will point out how to address challenges like climate change, economic recovery after the Covid pandemic, and war in Europe resulting in the severe disruption of the global supply of essential commodities such as fuel, food and fertiliser.

She would also highlight the experience of Bangladesh's incredible success in various socio-economic fields during the tenure of the current government before the participating world leaders.

The premier is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of Republic Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and Argentine President Alberto Angel Fernandez on the sidelines of the summit.

India assumed the G20 presidency in December 2022 and during this presidency term, it invited a total of nine countries including Bangladesh to attend all the G20 summits.

The invited countries are- Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a forum of the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss global economic and financial issues.

The G20 comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States) and the European Union.

The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

/KN/