G20 and its Significance: India hosts 2023 Presidency, Sparked Controversy over Disputed Venue

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About G20:

The G20 is the acronym of Group of Twenty. It is primarily concerned with economic matters. G20 is made up of the world’s twenty largest developed and developing economies.

This includes European Union and 19 other countries including:

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkiye, United Kingdom, and United States.

The G20 is the prime forum for International Economic Cooperation. It was founded in 1999 in the wake of various economic crisis and difficulties the world’s major states faced at the including the Asian Financial crisis of 1997.

The Forum accounts for two-third of world’s population, 75 percent of international trade, and solely generating 85 percent of global gross domestic product (Global GDP).

Image Credit: Google, Al-Jazeera

As the premier Forum for international economic cooperation, the Group of Twenty (G20) plays a pivotal role in driving global economy through the significant challenges it faces.

The Forum also play significant role in shaping and strengthening global architecture, global governance and global public policy on all major international economic issues.

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Presidency, Summits, Meetings, and Guests:

Each year, Presidency is given to the member countries on rotation basis who also act as a host. Presidency invites guest countries to attend sessions of its summits and several meetings. The Spain is declared and invited as permanent guest by G20.

The forum meets every year since its inception from 1999. The leaders of G20 had started meeting in a summit from 2008 annually.

In addition to the summits, several meetings, sherpa meetings, working groups, and special events are organized by the Presidency during a year.

In 2022, Indonesia held presidency where Bali Declaration of G20 released.

In 2023, India is holding the presidency.

In 2024, Brazil will host the Presidency of G20, while

In 2025, South Africa will follow Brazil.

India as holding Presidency of 2023:

India chairs the presidency this year. It plans more than 100 meetings of G20 across the country.

The latest meeting was scheduled by India from 22-24 May in a disputed land of Kashmir, that according to India is taking place under tight security. This is taken as projecting normalcy by holding session at a place where United Nations has recommended a plebiscite to give its people right to self-determination.

The decision to hold meeting at Indian held Kashmir was criticized by Pakistan and China.

According to Indian Government, New Delhi is seeking to promote tourism in the region to move forward for its sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030.

More than 60 delegates are attending the session started on Monday, 22^nd of May.

Security forces searching motorcycle amid ways to ensure security for G20 Meeting
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China Boycotted the Meeting:

China has refused to attend the session on the ground that it is being held in disputed Himalayan region.

Beijing also claims the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of its Tibet while it considers Kashmir, a disputed territory.

Chinese Spokesperson for its foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin told the reporters that his country firmly opposes any form of G20 meeting to be held at disputed territory and will not attend such meetings.

India faces criticism from Pakistan:

Along China, Pakistan also condemned the move by New Delhi because of its claims over the region.

The foreign ministry of Pakistan issued a strong condemnation after the India announced to hold G20 meeting in a disputed territory.

The former Ambassador of Pakistan to India, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi has termed the move “Highly Inappropriate”.

Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia were also unlikely to join the meeting as reported by Al-Jazeera quoting AFP.

Criticism of Indian Decision by the Local Analyst:

Dr. Sheikh Shaukat Hussain, who is political analyst based in the region, was quoted by Al-Jazeera that the people would meant for something if there had been a normal situation over here.

Now, as he spoken, Normalcy does not mean the normalcy of graveyard where you have put restrictions on media, restrictions on people and sending them in jails. While at the same time you are trying to show the world of normalcy of everything, he continued.

(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera, AFP, Australian Governments’ Official Website for Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)