MUMBAI (Reuters) – The world must cooperate to tackle the best challenges of climate change, terrorism, and pandemics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday as India began its year-long presidency of the Group of 20 (G20).
The Ukraine conflict, which began with a Russian invasion in February, dominated a two-day G20 summit in Indonesia last month, to the frustration of some members that wanted more attention on global economic woes.
“Today, we don’t must fight for our survival – our era needn’t be one in all war. Indeed, it must not be one,” Modi said in a declaration published in Indian newspapers to mark the beginning of the G20 presidency.
“Today, the best challenges we face – climate change, terrorism, and pandemics – may be solved not by fighting one another, but only by acting together.”
His comment on war echoed a remark he made to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a regional conference in September, when he told him now was not a time for war, widely interpreted as a gentle rebuke of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
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Modi, within the Thursday declaration, said India would aim to depoliticise the worldwide supply of food, fertilizers and medical products, in order that geo-political tensions don’t result in global disruptions.
“As in our own families, those whose needs are the best should always be our first concern,” Modi said.
G20 members agreed finally month’s summit, on the Indonesian island of Bali, to pursue efforts to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 Celsius, including speeding up efforts to phase down unabated use of coal.
India, the world’s second-biggest consumer of coal, said it will prioritise a phased transition to cleaner fuels and the slashing of household consumption to attain net zero emissions by 2070 to satisfy its decarbonisation pledge.
“Our G20 priorities can be shaped in consultation with not only our G20 partners, but additionally our fellow-travellers in the worldwide South, whose voice often goes unheard,” Modi said.
“We’ll encourage an honest conversation amongst essentially the most powerful countries – on mitigating risks posed by weapons of mass destruction and enhancing global security.”
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Robert Birsel)
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