India will host a virtual summit of over 120 developing nations as the nation seeks to advance international collaboration while holding the presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) largest economies.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement in December that India's G20 priorities will be developed in conjunction with developing nations and its G20 partners, the summit is taking place.
“India has always been in the forefront and consistently championed the cause of the developing world,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the conflict in Ukraine had impacted many developing countries.
Heads of governments, foreign ministers and finance ministers will participate in the “Voice of Global South Summit” where discussions will range from financial development to energy security in developing nations, Kwatra said.
He added, more than 120 invites have been sent for the two-day summit scheduled for Jan. 12-13 and a confirmed list of participating countries will be shared later.
“Often the concerns of the developing world do not receive due attention and space on the global stage,” he said.
“India’s ongoing presidency of the G20 presidency provides us with a special and strong opportunity to channelise these inputs into the deliberation and discourse of the G20.”
At the end of the summit, a summary detailing priorities and perspectives of the developing countries will be shared, Kwatra added.