In a historic moment, India formally assumed the G20 Presidency from Indonesia on December 1, 2022. The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation. a press release issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo
On the occasion, the Prime Minister penned an article outlining India’s vision for the G20 Presidency. This was carried by publications across the world. In his article, the Prime Minister said that India looks forward to a presidency of healing, harmony, and hope.
A key element of India’s G20 Presidency will be bringing the G20 closer to the public and making it truly a “people’s G20.” To realize this, citizen engagement and large-scale public participation through various Jan Bhagidari activities are planned throughout the year.
To mark the first day of India’s presidency, numerous activities were planned. Earlier in the day, a special University Connect event was organized, which virtually brought together students from 75 universities across the country. External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Shri P.K. Mishra, were among the distinguished speakers at the event. The University Connect event aimed to involve young people in G20 activities. School students were also involved through special G20 sessions in various schools.
Taking people’s participation further, the Hornbill Festival in Kohima featured a special focus on the G20. One hundred monuments, including some UNESCO World Heritage sites, were specially illuminated, and citizens were invited to join a selfie campaign on MyGov around these illuminated monuments. Shri Sudarshan Pattnaik, an Odisha-based sand artist, created a sand art of India’s G20 logo on Puri beach.
The G20 website recently launched by the PM also seamlessly migrated to the g20.org domain today, and India took over the official social media handles, including the Twitter handle @g20org, from the previous Presidency.
Drawing inspiration from its G20 Presidency theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” India will host over 200 meetings in over 50 cities across 32 different workstreams and have the opportunity to offer G20 delegates and guests a glimpse of India’s rich cultural heritage and provide them with a unique Indian experience.
