NEW DELHI: ‘After G20 India, Global South and Africa have been in the centre of the stage,’ said Italy’s Ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca.
More than six months later, India’s G20 presidency continues to generate buzz, with the ambassadors of Italy, Indonesia and South Africa lauding India’s G20 presidency for placing Africa and the Global South on the international agenda.
“After G20 India, Global South and Africa have been in the centre of the stage,” said Italy’s Ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca at a panel discussion held to release the book, titled “India’s G20 Legacy: Shaping a New World Order.”
Linking India’s G20 legacy to Italy’s presidency of the G7 grouping of the world’s most developed nations, the Italian envoy said: “As far as the interaction between G7 and G20, Italian G7 presidency is going to focus on developing countries. Now at G7, Africa and Global South will be integral parts of the agenda in Italy.” Italy will host the G7 summit from June 13-June 15 in the city of Fasano in Apulia.
Edited by Manish Chand, a foreign policy expert and author, “India’s G20 Legacy: Shaping a New World Order” includes original perspectives and insights by practitioners, diplomats, and strategic experts that illuminate the multi-faceted legacy of India’s G20 presidency.
The foreword to the book has been written by Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India’s then G20 Chief Coordinator.
“India’s year-long G20 presidency was pathbreaking and transformative in myriad ways, leaving a lasting legacy by paving the way for shaping an inclusive and human-centric world order,” said Manish Chand, also CEO, Centre for Global India Insights, a think tank.
Indonesia’s Ambassador to India, Ina H. Krisnamurty lavished praise on India’s G20 presidency for promoting inclusivity in the 21-member grouping. She lauded India for taking the lead to include the African Union as a full member of the G20 and increasing the inclusivity of the G20. Second, she praised India for undertaking the initiative to host two editions of the “Voice of the Global South Summit,” which provided a platform for projecting interests and aspirations of the Global South in the G20 agenda. “India’s G20 Presidency has left a historical footprint. You don’t know how happy we were when the G20 New Delhi Declaration was adopted. It was not out of relief, but pride,” she said.
South Africa, which takes over the G20 presidency after Brazil, is all praise for India for mainstreaming concerns of the Global South in the G20 agenda. “India has left a remarkable legacy. The G20 is the only platform that brings together the Global North and Global South,” said Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s High-Commissioner-designate to India.
“India has demonstrated that it’s possible for Global North and Global South have a dialogue and discuss key global issues,” said Mr Sooklal, who joined virtually from Johannesburg.
Senior diplomats, including Muktesh Pradeshi and Lakshmi Puri, stressed the people-centric character of India’s G20 presidency and dwelt at length on how civil society became an integral part of the G20 process.
“No other country has ever done a diplomatic endeavour at a pan-country level. Diplomacy became a part of our everyday lexicon. Even taxi wallahs, shopkeepers, barbers—everybody became part of a great national endeavour,” said Muktesh Pradeshi, currently Secretary (CPV & OIA) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, who supervised organisation of the New Delhi summit.
“There was never seen before Jan Bhagidari- participation of women actors from all, from the grassroots to top policy levels in this whole process. So it was not only people’s G20, but this was also women’s G20,” said Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant Secretary General, UN.
The contributors to the book read like a veritable who’s who of the diplomatic and strategic establishment, and include among others, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Dr G.N.M. Pandor, India’s G20 Coordinator Amitabh Kant, Sujan R. Chinoy, DG, MPIDSA, India’s then G20 Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Italy’s Ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca and Brazil’s Ambassador to India Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega.