PM Modi urges stronger global cooperation, disaster resilience, clean energy and inclusive development at the G20 Johannesburg Summit, proposing key initiatives on satellite data, critical minerals, food security and Global South empowerment. India highlights sustainable, human-centric growth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday placed strong emphasis on deeper global collaboration, disaster resilience and clean energy as he addressed both sessions on the opening day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. Speaking before leaders gathered for the first G20 meeting hosted on African soil, PM Modi urged the global community to adopt a more balanced and human-centric pathway to development—one that prioritises sustainability along with economic growth.
In a series of posts on X and in extensive remarks released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi said the discussions at the Summit’s second session centred around building disaster-resilient societies, ensuring fair and equitable energy transitions, and fortifying global food systems. “India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human-centric and inclusive,” he wrote.
Reiterating India’s longstanding belief that global crises demand coordinated global solutions, the Prime Minister said this principle guided the country’s decision to establish the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency in 2023. He highlighted that disaster management must shift away from a solely “response-centric” mindset toward a “development-centric” approach designed to reduce vulnerabilities, citing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) as a pioneering model.
A key proposal presented by PM Modi at the Johannesburg Summit was the creation of a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership, intended to make satellite data and analytics from G20 space agencies more accessible to developing nations. This data, he said, would be vital for improving agricultural productivity, managing fisheries, enhancing disaster early-warning systems and accelerating development planning, especially for nations of the Global South.
PM Modi also reaffirmed India’s focus on sustainable development and clean energy pathways. Among the ideas he introduced was a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, which would promote recycling, urban mining, second-life battery utilisation and innovation-driven approaches to securing global supply chains. Such measures, he argued, would be crucial for ensuring energy security and advancing climate-friendly development worldwide.
Climate change, the Prime Minister said, poses one of the gravest threats to global food security. He highlighted India’s own protective mechanisms for vulnerable populations—including the world’s largest food security programme, the world’s largest public health insurance scheme and an extensive crop insurance framework. He also underscored India’s global push to promote millets, termed “Shree Anna,” as a climate-resilient and nutrition-rich food source with significant international potential.
In the opening session titled “Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind,” PM Modi commended the South African Presidency for prioritising areas such as skilled migration, tourism, food security, women’s empowerment, AI and digital innovation. He noted that several landmark decisions taken during India’s G20 Presidency in New Delhi last year have been effectively continued under South Africa’s leadership.
With Africa hosting the Summit for the first time, PM Modi said the setting itself symbolised a call for new development frameworks. Traditional metrics of progress, he argued, often fail to account for ecological balance and societal well-being. He urged the global grouping to rethink these measures by drawing from India’s civilisational concept of Integral Humanism, a philosophy that harmonises the interests of individuals, society and nature.
Laying out a forward-looking agenda, PM Modi proposed six major initiatives for the G20’s consideration:
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G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository to preserve and integrate ancient scientific and cultural wisdom.
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G20 Africa Skills Multiplier to train one million certified instructors for strengthening Africa’s regional skill ecosystem.
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G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, a multinational emergency team for future health crises.
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G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to broaden access to space-based tools.
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G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative to accelerate sustainable innovation in minerals management.
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G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug Terror Nexus aimed at dismantling the global drug-terror economy.
During the session on “A Resilient World – G20 Contribution to Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, Just Energy Transition and Food Systems,” PM Modi welcomed the continuity given to India’s Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group. He urged developed nations to honour commitments related to affordable climate finance and technology transfer, noting that these promises are critical for the sustainability goals of developing countries.
Calling for a stronger thrust on food security, he encouraged G20 members to adopt the Deccan Principles on Food Security, developed during India’s Presidency, as the foundation for a long-term global roadmap.
PM Modi also emphasised the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable global governance framework. He recalled the historic inclusion of the African Union as a permanent G20 member during the 2023 New Delhi Summit and stated that this spirit of inclusivity must extend beyond symbolic representation to true collaboration.
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The Prime Minister thanked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for his hospitality and applauded the successful organisation of the Johannesburg Summit. This marks PM Modi’s 12th appearance at a G20 Leaders’ Summit, reinforcing India’s active role in shaping global policy.
