At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Bangladesh, High Commissioner Pranay Verma addressed an event titled “G20 Summit : Dhaka to New Delhi” organized by MOFA on 31 August to mark Bangladesh's participation at the G-20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023 under India's Presidency.
The event was attended by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, H.E. Dr. A K Abdul Momen, Ambaassador-at-large and G-20 Sherpa of Bangladesh H.E. Mohammad Ziauddin, as well as members of diplomatic corps and senior officials of MOFA and other Ministries of Bangladesh.
In his opening address, High Commissioner Verma said that India's invitation to Bangladesh to participate as a Guest Country during India's G20 Presidency this year not only reflected the importance India attached to Bangladesh as a close friend and partner, but also underlined India's belief that Bangladesh's developmental experience and growing capabilities stood to add value to discussions at G-20.
High Commissioner Verma thanked Bangladesh, as India's closest neighbor and most special friend, for actively joining and enriching the G-20 deliberations in different domains throughout the year and for making India's G-20 presidency a great success.
High Commissioner observed that India's Presidency of G-20 came at a time when the global recovery was emerging from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic and coping with a myriad of challenges – including supply chain disruptions, climate change, food and energy security risks, geopolitical uncertainties, inflation, and a looming debt crisis – all of which have led to economic slowdown and uncertainty in global economic growth. The G20 Presidency has been an important recognition of India's capabilities to set the agenda and lead the global efforts for collective well-being during these difficult times. In doing so, High Commissioner Verma noted, India has made special efforts to bring the aspirations and perspectives of the Global South into the priorities and deliberations of G-20. He described Bangladesh's participation in G20 this year as a valuable contribution to this goal.
High Commissioner added that during its G-20 Presidency, India has strived to shape the global agenda based on the vision of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” by bringing enhanced focus on securing inclusive and green growth, pursuing climate action through Prime Minister Modi's vision of “lifestyle for environment”, building disaster resilience, transitioning to renewable energy, putting technology for people's empowerment and forging reformed multilateralism. High Commissioner stressed that India counts on Bangladesh's support to translate these ideas into action.
The event included panel discussions by diplomats, officials and experts on three key priority areas of India's G-20 Presidency: Women-led Development, Digital Public Infrastructures, and Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) & Green Development.
The writer is based in Dhaka
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