Meetings of the 1st G20 Development Working Group conclude in Mumbai
Deliberations on Data for
Development and LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) close the substantive segment
of the 1st Development Working Group Meeting in Mumbai
Focused deliberations on key global issues of
harnessing data for development and collective climate action constituted the
third day of the 1st Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting under India’s G20
Presidency, being held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Today marked the conclusion of
all five substantive sessions of the four-day-long DWG meeting.
Initiating discussions under Session 3 — ‘Data for
Development’ — this morning, India’s DWG co-chairs Joint Secretaries Nagaraj
Naidu and Eenam Gambhir contextualised the need to galvanise global efforts to
effectively accelerate efforts to attain the goals of the 2030 Agenda.
“…as nations strive towards attainment of the SDGs,
attention now coalesces globally on digital solutions and systems that enable
the effective provision of essential society wide functions and services,” they
stated.
Kshitij Kushagra, Additional Director of India’s
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) and a representative
of the Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) highlighted the cross-cutting
nature of this issue and the ongoing synergy between the two tracks.
Next, UN SG’s Special Envoy on Technology Ambassador
Amandeep Singh Gill outlined global opportunities for growth and collaboration
across critical sectors like health, education, agriculture, and food security
through the effective collection, storage, analysis, and transformation of data
sets into digital intelligence.
Lastly, Trobjörn Fredriksson from the UN Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) presented his analysis on the Data for
Development Scoping Note, before the G20 nations took the floor.
Country interventions focused on the need for quality
data, the need for data with trust, the role of the private sector and civil
society, steps needed to bridge the digital divide, capacity building in
developing nations, and aligning the work of the DWG with that of the Digital
Economy Working Group.
Session 4 shifted focus to
Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), a central priority for India’s G20 Presidency
that grounds global climate action in “a reimagining of how we consume, and how
we can create ecosystems to support that,” DWG Co-Chair Ms. Gambhir said in her
opening remarks.
Drawing from India’s ancient sustainable traditions,
LiFE is a bold, transformative approach to sustainable living that proposes
global shifts in both consumption (demand) and production (supply) patterns.
The proposal also ties closely with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency —
‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future,’ which
highlights the interconnectedness of all life forms and places equitable
responsibility for this shared planet on all that inhabit it.
Presentations by Guiseppe De
Simone of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Divya
Dutt from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the economic and
policy frameworks that can enable the adoption of LiFE provided delegates with
data-driven perspectives of the scale, and impact, of this alternative
demand-supply paradigm. Ms. Dutt also framed the importance of “making
sustainable lifestyle aspirational” within the context of circular economies
and cross-cutting policy shifts.
Delegates from G20 countries welcomed India’s focus on
SDG 12: ‘Responsible Consumption and Production,’ and deliberated avenues to
integrate localised realities and knowledge, delineate scope and scale, and
identify policy measures that enable and incentivise shifts in this area.
The substantive negotiations
ended with Session 5 on the 2023 G20 New Delhi Update, with remarks and a
presentation by DWG Co-Chair Gambhir, a discussion on terms of reference for
the outcome document, and concluding remarks by the DWG Co-Chairs.
In the evening, DWG Co-Chairs held a press briefing at
the Jio World Convention Centre, providing a detailed overview of the DWG’s
undertakings and the group’s plans for future meetings. G20 delegates closed
the day with a dinner in the Centre’s lawns.
Between sessions, delegates were able to enjoy the
unique taste of Indian Tandoori Chai (tea); which imbibes its smoky flavour
from the process of using iron tongs to place a kulhad (small earthen cup) in a
hot tandoor.
An excursion to Kanheri Caves in Sanjay Gandhi
National Park has been planned for tomorrow to provide delegates an opportunity
to experience Mumbai’s cultural and green oasis in the midst of a fast growing
urban metropolis after two days of intense deliberations.