Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for greater transparency in governance systems and decisive action by the G20 to counter the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, which should focus on both economic recovery and land preservation.
Modi participated in the two-day virtual summit chaired by Saudi Arabia together with the heads of state and government of the 19 member countries and representatives of the European Union and international organizations.
Describing the pandemic as a major turning point in history and the greatest challenge facing the world since World War II, he called for decisive action from the G20 that is not limited to economic recovery, jobs and trade, but also focus on preserving the earth.
Modi called for greater transparency in governance systems to inspire people to deal with shared challenges and said that dealing with the environment as “trustees rather than owners” will lead to a holistic and healthy lifestyle, a principle whose point Reference could be a per capita carbon footprint.
He also looked for a new global index for the post-Coronavirus world that consists of four elements: creating a vast pool of talents, ensuring that technology reaches all segments of society, transparency in government systems, and treating the earth with a spirit of fiduciary administration. This can help the G20 lay the foundations for a new world, he said.
In recent decades, the emphasis has been on capital and finance, and now is the time to focus on versatility and retraining. This will improve people’s dignity and make them more resilient to face crises, he said. He added that any evaluation of the new technology must be based on its impact on ease of living and quality of life.
Since “working from anywhere” is the new normal in the post-Covid-19 world, Modi suggested creating a “virtual secretariat” for the G20 as a repository for tracking and documentation.
This was the third summit this month in which Modi and President Xi Jinping were on the same platform amid the border clash between India and China. They had previously joined the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping.
The summit with the theme “Seizing the opportunities of the 21st century for all” has gained importance in the wake of the pandemic, and its agenda includes two sessions focused on overcoming the pandemic, economic recovery and job restoration, and the construction of a inclusive, sustainable environment and resilient future. There are also side events on preparing for a pandemic and protecting the planet.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chairman of the Gavi Board, said at the event on preparing for a pandemic: “The virus is winning. Only through adequate funding for a global exit strategy like Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) can economic vitality be restored at home and catastrophe averted in the poorest countries. ”
The G20 leaders’ commitment to invest $ 4.6 billion to fill ACT Accelerator’s immediate funding gap will save lives, lay the foundation for mass procurement and delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, he said.
In his opening remarks, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz said that the G20 countries pledged more than $ 21 billion to support global efforts to fight the pandemic and injected more than $ 11 billion to support individuals and businesses.
“Although we are optimistic about the progress made in the development of vaccines, therapeutic and diagnostic tools for Covid-19, we must work to create the conditions for affordable and equitable access to these tools for all people. At the same time, we must better prepare for any future pandemics, ”he said.
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