The three day-long Think20 Summit that featured discussions on a wide range of issues relevant to the G20 concluded in Mysuru on Wednesday evening.
Think20 or T20 is the G20s official engagement group that serves as an ‘ideas bank’ for the ongoing Indian G20 Presidency by bringing together think-tanks and high-level experts to deliberate on relevant policy issues.
About 200 participants from 35 countries and nearly 110 institutions were hosted at the T20 Summit. They included diplomats, policy planners, heads of think tanks and research institutions, civil society organisations, multilateral agencies, and eminent thinkers.
A highlight of the second day of the T20 Summit on Tuesday was a virtual address by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who observed that four points especially important with respect to the ongoing Indian G20 Presidency.
“First, given the immense value of the G20 as an international grouping, he felt “India must ensure a focus on the right issues and come up with an actionable consensus”. Second, it is crucial that the G20 remain unified and cohesive, with “open discussion among all members, irrespective of their other affiliations”. Third, the polarisation within the UN Security Council has made the G20 a more crucial group than it might otherwise have been. And fourth, at a time when development is under stress worldwide, the G20’s mandate on development and growth makes it a key contributor to the global good”, Mr. Jaishankar is quoted in a statement.
Mr. Jaishankar concluded his address by remarking that India had adopted an unconventional approach to its G20 Presidency, making it “much more connected with people”, and demonstrating that “their concerns and global concerns are indivisible”. Ultimately, Mr. Jaishankar felt, India had been able to leverage the G20 platform to showcase “change in action”, and to “make the world ready for India, and India ready for the world”.
