G20 Summit Session 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Session 1 of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Saturday, congratulating South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for hosting the summit and for a successful presidency.
Modi highlighted South Africa’s progress on key priorities such as skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital economy, innovation, and women’s empowerment. He noted that several initiatives launched at the New Delhi G20 Summit have been carried forward.
The Prime Minister said that traditional growth models have left large sections of the population deprived and contributed to environmental degradation, with Africa being one of the most affected. As the continent hosts the G20 Summit for the first time, he called for redefining development parameters through the lens of Integral Humanism, which views individuals, society, and nature as an integrated whole.
Modi proposed several global initiatives under the G20 framework:
Global Traditional Knowledge Repository
A global platform to preserve traditional, eco-balanced lifestyles and cultural wisdom, built on India’s Indian Knowledge Systems initiative.
G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative
A ‘train-the-trainers’ model aimed at preparing one million certified trainers in Africa over the next decade, empowering millions of youth with skills and strengthening local capacity.
G20 Global Healthcare Response Team
A rapid-response group of trained medical experts from G20 nations to be deployed during global health crises and natural disasters.
G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus
A coordinated mechanism to curb drug trafficking, particularly lethal substances like fentanyl, and disrupt its role in financing terrorism.
Reaffirming India’s long-standing solidarity with Africa, Modi stressed the need to amplify the voice of the Global South across international institutions. He said that following the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent G20 member during the New Delhi Summit, the partnership must now extend beyond the forum.
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