India is confident that it will be able to bring consensus on issues like the African Union’s inclusion in G20 as a permanent member and the country’s ambitions to digitally transform the global south, Indian Sherpa Amitabh Kant said. In an interview with DH’s Anjali Jain, Kant said that India is treading the deadlock over language condemning the Russia-Ukraine conflict carefully, and is hoping to work a way around contentious issues ahead of the Leaders’ Summit in September. Edited excerpts:
What are your key takeaways from the 3rd Sherpa Meeting?
One is that all G20 countries want to be ambitious. They want to be positive, constructive and development-oriented. All countries feel that there is a crisis and there are challenges and that India is well placed to find a meeting ground for everyone. All G20 countries have a feeling that India has put up a very ambitious document for discussion. Now, everybody must have the same level of ambition because this is a consensus-based document. So, that is what we are working on.
The paragraphs on the Russia-Ukraine conflict continue to be a point of contention. How can we reach a consensus in this regard?
Our priority is developmental issues, like issues of emerging markets, global debt, and sustainable development goals. Our priority is not the Ukraine issue, we will discuss this towards the end, not at this time. We will pursue our ambitious development agenda all through, and only when that is finished, we will bring this issue forward. Informally we have been discussing this, but there have been no formal discussions
How important is it for India that the African Union be included in G20? Are there any challenges that remain in its inclusion?
The Prime Minister is very clear. He has written to heads of states on making the African Union a permanent member of G20. His proposal is to have a larger voice of inclusivity in G20. And this sends out a message that 54 countries of Africa will get represented. Then the G20 will comprise over about 85 per cent of the global population. It will also send out a message that we care for emerging markets. And we'll be able to care for the concerns of Africa. The proposal of the Prime Minister has been very well accepted. And there has been an overwhelmingly positive response. I think every country is in favour of the African Union.
All the leaders, when they meet, will have to finally agree. The proposal so far has received an overwhelmingly positive support. So we hope to see it through.
India is looking to leverage its expertise in building a digital public infrastructure to help developing nations build their own. What has been the response to that?
All countries are in favour. We use our G20 presidency to evangelize on India's success on DPI and every country has supported this. We will take this forward. 4 billion people in the world do not have a digital identity, and 3 billion people do not have a bank account. 133 countries do not have a payment mechanism. We will use this opportunity to push this forward.
We'll help all countries which require this. We are using the G20 to have a definition of DPI. We will use this opportunity to pass on the India module to every country that requires it.
Deputies and leaders at the Finance track meeting seem hopeful of resolving the debt restructuring issue. What is your opinion on this?
The recommendations will come in, we will consider them and we will take them forward, both the debt issue and the reform of multilateral institutions. We are looking for a progressive agenda from the finance track, and we will take them forward as part of the Leaders’ Declaration.