12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany

The 2017 G20 Summit was the 12^th meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20), which was held on 7^th and 8^th July, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.

• The theme for this year’s G20 Summit was “Shaping an Inter-connected World”.
• The progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year was reviewed and deliberations were held on issues such as terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women’s empowerment, and partnership with Africa
• The summit this year also witnessed massive protests. The protests were based on views that G20 has failed to solve many of the issues threatening world peace.

PM Modi Visit to Germany for G20 Summit:

On 7^th and 8^th July, 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

• He reached Germany straight from Israel after wrapping up his historic three-day visit.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK’s cooperation to bring back economic offenders.
• He also met Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
• Prime Minister Modi had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. The two leaders briefly reviewed progress in bilateral relations, including in important projects, since their last meeting in Japan.
• Continuing his series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, PM Modi also met South Korean President Moon Jae-in. He congratulated in person Moon on his victory in presidential elections.
• PM Modi’s discussions with Italy’s Prime Minister Gentiloni focused on promoting bilateral relations, particularly trade and investment and people-to-people ties.
• Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg gifted a symbolic football to PM Modi. During his meeting with Erna Soberg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Norwegian pension funds to invest in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

G20 Summit: India among Majority Nations on Climate Change, Terrorism

At the G20 Summit, a consensus emerged on issues like fight against terror, global warming and protectionism among majority of the world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• As per official sources, there was near unanimity on the need for a stronger concerted global effort to fight the terror menace and to clamp down on terrorist financing and safe havens.
• Several world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Modi called for greater coordination and more measures to fight terrorism.
• PM Modi told the G20 meet that some countries were using terror as a tool to achieve political objectives and pressed for “deterrent” action collectively by the G-20 members against such nations.

G20 nations pledge to strengthen health systems

On July 8, 2017, the G20 nations, including India, pledged to strengthen health systems and also combat the menace of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which the grouping termed as a “growing threat” to public health and economic growth.

• The nations, including India, recalled that universal health coverage is a goal adopted in the 2030 Agenda and recognised that strong health systems are important to effectively address health crises.
• Terming AMR as a growing threat to public health and economic growth, the G20 pledged that to tackle its spread in humans, animals and the environment, nations will aim to have implementation of their respective National Action Plans based on a ‘One-Health’ approach.
• G20 leaders pledged to strive to fully eradicate polio.
• The nations highlighted the importance of fostering research and development, in particular for priority pathogens as identified by the WHO and tuberculosis.
• The nations also supported the World Health Organisation’s central coordinating role, especially for capacity building and response to health emergencies, while encouraging full implementation of its emergency reform.

G 20 countries leaders agree for action, targeted exchange of information on terrorism

On July 7, 2017, G20 leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to facilitate swift and targeted exchange of information between intelligence, law enforcement and judicial authorities to crackdown on the global scourge of terrorism and to check its funding sources.

• G20 leaders also asked the private sector, including the communication firms, to join the fight against radicalisation by curbing internet misuse for terror propaganda.
• In a 21-point declaration, G20 nations have agreed to work to improve the existing international information architecture in the areas of security, travel and migration, including INTERPOL, ensuring the necessary balance between security and data protection aspects.
• The G20 nations said border agencies will strengthen cooperation to detect travel for terrorist purposes, including by identifying priority transit and destination countries of terrorists.
• Coordination will be enhanced to address the evolving threats and potential vulnerabilities in aviation security systems and exchange information on risk assessments.
• In efforts to choke funding for terror activities, the G20 leaders reiterated their resolve to make the international financial system entirely hostile to terrorist financing and deepen exchange of information, including working with the private sector.
• The declaration identified that low cost attacks by small cells and individuals funded by small amounts of money transferred through a wide range of payment means are an increasing challenge.
• Stressing that there should be no “safe spaces” for terrorist financing anywhere in the world, the G20 nations expressed their commitment to intensify capacity building and technical assistance, especially in relation to terrorist financing hot-spots.
• The leaders highlighted the importance of providing appropriate support to the victims of terrorist acts.

G20 Adopts $1bn Women Entrepreneur Plan For Developing Nations

On July 8, 2017, G20 leaders adopted a World Bank funding plan of up to USD 1 billion for women entrepreneurs in developing nations, an initiative championed by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump.

• The initiative was launched by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in the presence of Ivanka Trump and her father as also G20 host Angela Merkel and other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and IMF chief Christine Lagarde.
• For the facility, the World Bank serves as trustee to improve women’s access to capital, provide technical assistance and invest in other projects and programs that support women entrepreneurs and women-owned SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in World Bank client countries.
• The facility is expected to raise up to $1 billion of financing to support women entrepreneurs. An initial grant financing of around $200 million from G20 and non-G20 donors aims to leverage an additional $800 million in commercial as well as international financial institution funding.

PM Modi presents 10-point action plan on counter terrorism for G-20 nations

At G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the action plan against terror and presented a 10-point action agenda for it.
PM Modi’s 10-point Action Plan
(i)Deterrent action against nations supporting terrorism must be made compulsory, such nations should be barred from G20
(ii)G20 nations must exchange lists of suspected terrorists and their supporters
(iii)Legal processes such as extradition should be simplified and expedited
(iv)Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism should be adopted soon
(v)UNSC resolutions and other international processes should be effectively implemented
(vi)G20 nations should give emphasis to de-radicalisation programmes and exchange best practices
(vii)Terror financing should be curtailed by means of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other means
(viii)Weapons and Explosive Action Task Force (WEATF) should be constituted on lines of FATF so that source of weapons to the terrorists is stopped
(ix)G20 nations should cooperate in cyber security, with a focus on terrorist activities
(x)National Security Advisors on Counter Terrorism mechanism should be constituted

Quick facts about G20:

Formed in year 1999, G20 (Group of Twenty) is a political forum of industrialised and developing economies that deliberates upon range of global and regional issues which affects the global economy.

• G20 accounts for 85% of Global Gross Domestic Product and 80% of world trade.
• It represents 66% of the world’s population.
• United States, Argentina, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, India, Russia, Italy, China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and European Union are the current member of G20.