G20 must lead world by addressing climate change, working towards universal healthcare: Suresh Prabhu

NEW DELHI: The future of the world is also the responsibility of the G20, and the grouping of developed and emerging economies must guide and lead the world by addressing climate change and working towards universal healthcare, India's Sherpa to G20 Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday.
Addressing a virtual event organised by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), Prabhu said the lack of multilateralism is going to create more challenges for the world.

"The future of the world is also the responsibility of the G20. G20 countries as a grouping must guide and lead the world by addressing climate change and working towards universal healthcare," he said.

Prabhu said the global economy is itself under threat, it is already witnessing challenges.

"It (global economy) was slowing down before 2019, multilateralism should be a guiding principle to deal with such issues," he said adding that lack of multilateralism is going to create more challenges.

Prabhu, also a former Union minister, said the Paris climate change agreement is important and the global community must ensure its implementation.

Noting that the G20 countries in the recently concluded Riyadh Summit mentioned that the COVID-19 vaccine should be made available universally. "G20 countries must share health technology universally to prevent future pandemic as well."

The Ministry of External Affairs in a recent statement said it was decided that the G20 presidency will be held in Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.

G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

Collectively, the G20 economies account for nearly 90 per cent of the gross world product, 80 per cent of world trade, two-thirds of the global population, and about half of the world's land area.