On September 7, 2021, Union Minister Piyush Vedprakash Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry was appointed as India’s Sherpa for the G20 (Group of Twenty) by replacing former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.
- A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting. That means Piyush Goyal will be India’s Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s Sherpa.
- He will be responsible for steering negotiations with partner countries on policy issues on an ongoing basis while the PM will lead India’s participation.
Points to be noted:
i.The G20 Summit 2021 is scheduled for October 30-31 under Italian Presidency.
- A joint Finance and Health Ministers’ G20 meeting will take place in October 2021, ahead of the main G20 Summit.
ii.India will be part of the G20 Troika (preceding, current, and incoming G20 Presidencies) from December 1, 2021 till November 30, 2024.
iii.India will hold G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022 and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023 for the first time.
iv.G20 is a major international grouping that accounts for more than 80% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 75% of global trade and 60% of global population.
- India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999.
- Since 2014, Narendra Modi is representing India at G20 Summits.
G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting 2021 held in Rome, Italy; agreed on vaccine confidence measures
On September 5-6, 2021, the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting 2021 was held under the Italian Presidency in Rome, Lazio (Italy). It was chaired by Roberto Speranza, Italian Minister of Health.
- This meeting was part of the G20 (Group of Twenty) Leaders Summit 2021, which will be hosted by Italy in October 2021.
- During the meeting, the G20 Health Ministers, including India, have pledged to improve future health security, increase vaccine confidence and tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while adopting the Health Declaration.
Key Points:
i.To promote vaccine confidence, Health Ministers agreed to implement the most effective, culturally appropriate, and science-based public communication.
ii.Emphasis were laid on promoting strong multilateral cooperation to end COVID-19 pandemic and supporting recovery.
iii.Contribution through joint efforts will be continued to prevent, detect and respond to global health risks and emergencies.
iv.They also recognized the importance of gender when designing and implementing health policies
G20 Member Nations:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). Spain is invited as a permanent guest.
Recent Related News
The 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FMCBGs) held on July 9-10, 2021 was hosted by Italy in its city Venice, Veneto. India was virtually represented by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance. This was the first in-person Finance Track meeting since February 2020.
About Group of Twenty (G20):
The 2021 G20 is under the Italian Presidency. It is focusing on three broad, interconnected pillars of action: People, Planet, and Prosperity.
Establishment– 1999
Members– 20 (19 countries + European Union)
