G20 Johannesburg Summit: PM Modi pitches global cooperation, disaster resilience and clean energy at Session 2

New Delhi/Johannesburg, Nov 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday underlined the need for stronger global cooperation, disaster resilience and sustainable development as he addressed both sessions of the opening day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.

In a series of posts on X, and according to detailed remarks shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Modi highlighted India’s human-centric approach to growth and urged the grouping to adopt fresh parameters of development that balance progress with planetary well-being.

Taking to X, the Prime Minister said the second session of the Summit focused on building a resilient world in the face of disasters and climate change, ensuring just energy transitions, and strengthening global food systems. “India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human-centric and inclusive,” he wrote.

Reiterating India’s long-held view that major global challenges require coordinated global solutions, PM Modi said this conviction had driven India’s decision to establish the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency. He added that disaster management must move away from a purely “response-centric” model to a “development-centric” one, citing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as an example of this approach.

The Prime Minister also proposed the creation of a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership, which would make satellite data and analysis from G20 space agencies more accessible to developing countries, especially in the Global South. He stressed that improved access to space-based tools would assist nations in agriculture, fisheries, and disaster management.

Reaffirming India’s commitment to sustainability and clean energy, PM Modi said he had put forward a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative aimed at promoting recycling, urban mining, second-life batteries and related innovations to secure supply chains and pave cleaner development pathways.

Calling climate change one of the most serious threats to food security, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s efforts to shield vulnerable communities through the world’s largest food security and nutrition programme, the world’s biggest health insurance scheme, and a wide-reaching crop insurance framework. He also emphasised India’s push to popularise Shree Anna (millets) for nutrition and climate resilience.

According to a detailed press note issued by the PMO, the Prime Minister used the opening session — themed “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind” — to appreciate the South African presidency’s work in areas including skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital innovation and women’s empowerment. He noted that many of the landmark decisions taken during India’s G20 presidency in New Delhi had been effectively carried forward.

With the G20 meeting being held for the first time on African soil, PM Modi said the moment demanded a rethink of traditional development yardsticks, arguing that growth must not come at the expense of ecological balance. He urged the grouping to draw upon India’s civilisational idea of Integral Humanism, which he described as a philosophy that harmonises the interests of individuals, society and nature.

Laying out a forward-looking agenda for the G20, the Prime Minister proposed six new initiatives for consideration:

1. G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository to preserve and harness humanity’s collective wisdom.

2. G20 Africa Skills Multiplier to develop one million certified trainers for skilling African youth and building long-term regional capacities.

3. G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, comprising experts from all member nations, that could be deployed for international health emergencies.

4. G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to widen access to space-based data for development sectors.

5. G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative to bolster innovation in recycling, urban mining and sustainable battery use.

6. G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug Terror Nexus to combat trafficking and break the drug-terror economy.

In the session on “A Resilient World – G20 Contribution to Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transition; Food Systems”, PM Modi welcomed continuity on India’s Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group and urged richer nations to honour commitments on affordable climate finance and technology transfer to developing countries.

He also called for a stronger collective push on food security and urged that the Deccan Principles on Food Security, adopted during India’s presidency, be used to craft a G20 roadmap for future action.

Seeking a more equitable global governance framework, the Prime Minister stressed the need for a stronger voice for the Global South. He recalled that the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent G20 member during the New Delhi Summit was a historic step and said this spirit of inclusivity must extend beyond the G20 itself.

PM Modi thanked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for his warm hospitality and lauded the successful conduct of the Summit. This is the Prime Minister’s 12th participation in a G20 Leaders’ Summit.

–IANS

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