Africa-Press – Mauritius. In view of the special relations between Mauritius and India, Mauritius has been invited by India, in its capacity as G20 Chair, to participate as a Guest Country in all the G20 meetings during India’s presidency from 01 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
This announcement was made, today, by the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, during a G20 briefing session held at the seat of his Ministry in Port Louis.
He was flanked by the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dillum, and the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr A. Acharaz. G20 Work streams Heads of Delegation and Nodal Officers from different Ministries were also present.
In his address, Minister Ganoo highlighted that the invitation from India, apart from illustrating the excellent bilateral relations and enduring friendship between the two countries, provides a unique opportunity to further the national agenda of Mauritius in the realm of global governance and on issues of vital interests for the country.
In the midst of global economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the impact of climate change, the Foreign Affairs Minister affirmed that the G20 will provide Mauritius with a unique platform to make its voice heard and to reinforce its leadership role that it has consistently played in pushing the Small Island States agenda on the global arena.
He observed that it is crucial for Mauritius to strategise and coordinate its participation in the over 200 G20 meetings that India plans to organise throughout the year.
The aim, he stated, is to ensure that our national strategic interests are effectively pursued across the 14 work streams and other discussion areas which India will be pushing forward over the coming year.
Speaking about the highlights of the G20 process, Mr Ganoo said that a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be held in March 2023, and a Leaders’ Summit on 09 and 10 September 2023.
He further underlined that Government has decided to nominate the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dillum, as G20 Sherpa for Mauritius, and the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr A. Acharaz, as Sous-Sherpa.
Addressing the G20 Work streams Heads of Delegation and Nodal Officers, the Foreign Affairs Minister appealed to them to push the national priorities forward within the G20 process and the bilateral meetings which will be held in the margins of the numerous thematic meetings.
He remarked that it is important to ensure that the country’s developmental agenda and national interests at the global stage are effectively pushed through for the benefit of our citizens.
For his part, Ambassador Dillum appealed to Heads of Delegation to collaborate to make the G20 meeting a success for Mauritius. He said that a focal point should be set up at the level of their Ministry adding that each working group should start preparation on issues of national and global interests.
He also dwelt on the G20 process which comprises a Sherpa Track and a Financial Track. The Financial channel, which consists of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the G20 members, specifically addresses a number of agendas related to the financial sector namely financial inclusion, sustainable financing, climate finance and tax matters.
Meanwhile, the Sherpa track addresses other agendas that are outside the financial sector such as agriculture, education, employment, health, energy, environment and climate sustainability, tourism, trade and investment.
Speaking about the theme chosen by India for the G20 Summit which is ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ (The world is one family), Ambassador Dillum said that the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal and plant–and their interconnection on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
The theme also spotlights LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), with its associated, environmentally sustainable and responsible choices, both at the level of individual lifestyles as well as national development, leading to a cleaner, greener and bluer future, he added.
Ambassador Dillum also spoke about the expectations of Mauritius as a Guest country. Mauritius, he said, is expected to attend and participate actively in all the meetings to be hosted by India, including a series of in-person Ministerial meetings.
The meetings will culminate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government which will be held on 09 and 10 September 2023 in New Delhi. The first Sherpa meeting will be held from 04 to 07 December 2022 in India, he underlined.
Mauritius needs to be well prepared since it will lead discussions and negotiate the outcome texts on the various themes, which will be presented to the Heads of States at the Leaders’ Summit.
The national positions of Guest country would be included in the G20 discussion documents. We would need to identify our national priorities and ensure that our interests are taken on board, he added.
He recalled that under India’s Presidency, Mauritius has been invited as a Guest Country along with seven others, namely Bangladesh, Egypt, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, and the UAE.
G20 Summit India is set to assume the presidency of the G20 from the current chair Indonesia. Italy and Indonesia, along with India, are part of the G20 troika: past, present and incoming presidencies.
During the G20 Presidency, India will hold about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India. The G20 Summit to be held next year would be one of the most high-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India.
G20 is the premier forum for international cooperation on the most important aspects of the international economic and financial agenda. It brings together the major developed and developing economies of the world.
Collectively, the member nations represent around 90 % of the global gross domestic product, 80 % of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of global population and three-quarters of international trade.
The G20 summit was started in the year 1999 at the level of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. It was created in response to financial crises that was prevalent in a number of emerging economies in the 1990s.
Its 19 Members are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The European Union is also a member, represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet annually.
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