India participates in the first G20 meeting since joining the Troika

India’s G20 Sherpa and Minister of Commerce & Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal, participated in the first Sherpa Meeting convened by Indonesia, the current G20 President, on 7-8 December 2021 in virtual mode. In addition, concerned Indian officials attended the meeting in Jakarta in person. It was our first G20 meeting since joining the G20 Troika.

In his interventions in various sector specific sessions (Health, Development, Education, Employment, Digital Economy, Trade, Investment, Industry, Agriculture, Environment and Climate, Energy and Anti-Corruption), Shri Piyush Goyal outlined India’s achievements and experiences, and expressed support for an inclusive approach, with pragmatic and human-centric solutions to global issues. He conveyed that as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’, India will produce 5 billion vaccine doses next year to strengthen international efforts to fight the pandemic and assist the developing world. He stressed the need for equality of global health standards, including for travel, vaccine acceptance and documentation, as well as wider recognition of national pharmacopoeia. He emphasized the need to protect and promote interests of MSMEs, small and marginal farmers, local food culture and traditional knowledge, as well as promote the use of digital technologies and data for development. On climate change, he reiterated our commitment to specific targets announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at COP 26 recently, while also calling for an increased focus on consumption patterns, technology transfer and circular economy. He reaffirmed India’s full support to Indonesia during their G20 Presidency.

MEA