G20 curtain raiser held in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

New Delhi: On India’s constitution day, a briefing for the Resident Heads of Missions of the G20 member countries, guest countries and International Organizations was organised at Swaraj Dweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands on November 26, 2022, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Over 40 Missions and International Organizations participated in the program. They were given detailed briefings by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and Chief G20 Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the substantive, operational and logistical aspects of various G20 interactions during India's Presidency.

In the run-up to India assuming the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022, which plans to have around 200 meetings in a year across the country. The Heads/Representatives of Missions were apprised of India's G20 Presidency, as reflected in the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", or "One Earth One Family One Future".

G20 Sherpa recalled the Prime Minister's statement at the G20 Bali Summit that India's Presidency will be "inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented".

In the meeting, global issues of multiple challenges facing the world today, conversations on our priorities at the briefing covered shared priorities in areas such as public digital goods and digital infrastructure; climate action, climate finance and technology collaborations; clean, sustainable, just, affordable energy transition; accelerated progress on sustainable development goals; women-led development; and multilateral reforms were discussed.

Chief G20 Coordinator briefed Missions about the extensive arrangements for G20 meetings across India and facilitation for the participation of delegates. He recalled that the day also marks the 14th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks and the importance of facing global challenges together.

An overview of ongoing finance track deliberations and our approach was also provided by the Representative of the Department of Economic Affairs.

At the end of the briefing, OSD(Operations) Muktesh Pardeshi and AS(G20) Abhay Thakur answered a range of queries from Missions on travel, visas, protocol, security and participation of invitees.

Heads of Missions were provided with a detailed briefing on the history, culture, environment and development of the Andaman & Nicobar islands by Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra.

In addition to the briefing, delegates also took part in a yoga session, followed by a beach cleaning activity, which symbolizes our pro-planet, sustainable lifestyles and One Earth approach.

Delegates also visited the historic Cellular Jail at Port Blair, where a large number of our unsung heroes were imprisoned for the cause of our freedom struggle. The visit concluded with a cultural program by local artists.