According to Antonio Guterres, head of the UN, India’s G20 presidency will bring about the transformational change that the world needs

The world needs the type of dramatic changes that India’s G-20 leadership will bring about, according to United Nations (UN) General Secretary Antonio Guterres on Friday.

In addition, Guterres said that India has made every effort to ensure that the Global South will have a full presence at the G-20 Summit.

The Prime Ministers of Mauritius, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Oman, and other developing nations have all been invited to the G-20 Summit in addition to the 19 leading countries that make up the G-20 and the European Union (EU). India is also hosting the summit as the G-20 Chair. Friday saw bilateral discussions between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Mauritius’ Pravind Jugnauth.

According to Guterres, who was speaking to the media, “My hope is that India’s presidency at the G-20 Summit will help lead to the kind of transformative change that the world so desperately needs in line with India’s repeated commitment to act on behalf of the Global South and its determination to pursue the development agenda.”

Additionally, in reference to the present geopolitical landscape, Guterres said that the globe today resembles a “dysfunctional family”.

If we are one big family, we sure seem dysfunctional right now. One Earth, One Family, One Future is the theme of this year’s summit, which Guterres seemed to be referencing when he noted that “divisions are growing, tensions are escalating, and trust is eroding.”

In his remarks on climate change, Guterres said that because the G-20 nations account for 80% of global emissions, they should accept accountability and take appropriate action.

“The G20 nations are in charge, but the climate issue is spiraling out of control. G20 nations together are in charge of 80% of the world’s emissions. Half-measures won’t stop a complete climatic collapse…The issues are far-reaching, and there is no time to waste. According to PTI, the climate situation is significantly becoming worse, yet the global response lacks urgency, credibility, and ambition.

Additionally, Guterres encouraged the wealthy nations to contribute to the problem of climate funding, as India and other poor nations have been pleading with the West to do.

According to PTI, “the UN chief said the developed countries in the G20 should demonstrate leadership by keeping their promises to developing nations, by reaching the USD 100 billion target, by tripling adaptation financing, by replenishing the Green Climate Fund, and by operationalizing the loss and damage fund established in the most recent Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

India and other poor nations have claimed recently that since affluent and industrialized nations have contaminated the planet more, they should take a more active part in addressing the climate crisis.

According to the PTI, Guterres encouraged the G20 leaders to pursue a fair and equitable transition via a green economy, maintain the 1.5 degree Celsius objective, and restore trust based on climate justice. He asked major polluters to step up their efforts to reduce emissions and aid developing nations in doing so. According to him, developing economies should achieve net zero by 2050 and wealthy nations by 2040. He stated that the OECD nations should phase out coal by 2030 and the rest by 2040.

In order to reflect the reality of the modern world, Guterres also said that multilateral institutions need to be reformed. He acknowledged India as the “country of the world with the largest population and it is a very important partner in the multilateral system” but said it is up to the member nations to decide whether to expand the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) permanent membership and include India.

“All I can say is that I think the multilateral system has to be changed to reflect the reality we live in today…I don’t know whether we understand the urgency, but there is a need to act now, according to Guterres.