Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar today said the ongoing G20 meeting is crucial in a world hit by an economic and environmental crisis and a war.
The state of the world is far more "worrisome", he said in an exclusive interview given as part of the G20 series to NDTV's Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia.
So, though the G20 started with a narrow mandate, it had to evolve as the problems grew. "2023 is a far more complicated place. We have had the pandemic, and its impact has been horrific," he said.
The "conflict in Europe is having an impact on fuel and food. Climate events with economic consequences are happening more frequently. The situation in the world is more worrisome than it ever was," Jaishankar said.
"G20 is about Food-Energy-Climate ... Unless we change our daily lifestyle and bring about climate-friendly changes, nothing will change," he said.
This message, he said, has to be taken to the common man. "We are aiming for jan-bhagidaari (people's participation) ... It is our collective responsibility; this is the message."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi "wanted to take the G20 to the country and not confine it to conference halls and Delhi", he said.
But for the common man, politics is a "faraway world," and the government is trying to raise issues at the G20 that they can understand. It is also essential in view of the steps that need to be taken to control the situation, Jaishankar said.
Citing an example, the minister mentioned the central government's drive to popularise millets as a staple. "If the production of millet can be increased, you will increase nutrition and reduce climate impact," he said.
Asked about the United Nations in view of the expanding role of the G20, the Foreign Minister said: "G20 will pursue its mandate, which is global growth and development. UNSC will continue doing its job ... One cannot be a substitute for the other. Each has a place and its own contribution. You can't fix the UN by going somewhere else. Members of UN have to realise it's time for reforms."
India's presidency of the G20 is marked by over 200 events held across the country ahead of the summit in Delhi on Sept. 9 and 10.
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