FRIDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CHINESE TWIST TO UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS GOTABAYA DENIES CHARGES OVER EASTER SUNDAY KILLINGS P9 SENSEX 66,265.56385.04 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. VERY LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE TOWARDS EVENING/NIGHT. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 37 AND 27 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY P7 NIFTY 19,727.05116.00 ` vs $ 83.219 PAISE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER midst muscle-flexing by China on maritime issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday fully supported ASEAN's centrality for promoting cooperation in the IndoPacific region while reiterating in the context of the Ukraine conflict that today's era was not of war and that dialogue and diplomacy were the only path to resolution. Addressing the East Asia A Summit (EAS) in Jakarta, he also reaffirmed India's position that the Code of Conduct for South China Sea should be effective and in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Additionally, it should take into consideration the interests of countries that were not directly involved in the discussions. “India fully supports the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.There is unison in the vision of India and ASEAN for the Indo-Pacific. This underscores the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday presented a 12-point proposal for strengthening India-ASEAN cooperation covering connectivity, digital transformation, trade and economic engagement, addressing contemporary challenges, people-to-people contacts and deepening strategic engagement. He also called for a collective fight against ter- rorism, terror financing and cyber-disinformation. Addressing the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta, he called for ensuring a free, open and rules based IndoPacific. Mr Modi called for establishing a multi-modal connectivity and economic corridor that links SouthEast Asia-India-West AsiaEurope. He offered to share India’s Digital Public Infrastructure Stack with ASEAN partners. significance of the East Asia Summit as a crucial platform for implementing the IndoPacific Oceans Initiative,” Mr Modi said. ASEAN, he said, held a central position in the vision of QUAD (which comprises India, Japan, Australia and the United States). The positive agenda of QUAD complemented with the various mechanisms of ASEAN. Describing the EAS as a very important platform, Mr Modi said it was the only leader-led mechanism for dialogue and cooperation on strategic matters in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, it played a pivotal role as the primary confidence-building mechanism in Asia and the key to its success was ASEAN centrality, he added. A G20 of many firsts: India’s remarkable impact on the G20 KANWAL SIBAL ndia's Presidency has been historic for the G20 in many ways. Spanning 13 working groups and 11 engagement groups under the Sherpa Track, India introduced several significant initiatives to strengthen the voice of the Global South in particular. The concerns of the developing world are not given adequate consideration on the global stage. The Voice of the Global South Summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw the participation of 125 countries and 18 Heads of State, bringing together countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform. This assumed heightened importance in light of recent global developments such as the pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation, challenges of food and energy security, all of which have severely impacted the developing world. Under the leadership of the Indian Presidency, the G20 welcomed the African Union as a permanent member. India's consistent advocacy of the interests of the developing nations finds tangible expression in this significant step. This move was complemented by a very significant increase in African representation in the G20 discussions. Countries like South Africa, Mauritius, Egypt, and Nigeria participated at the highest level, and the involvement of the African Union Chair from Comoros and AUDA-NEPAD further enriched the dialogue, reinforcing India's commitment to amplify diverse voices on the global stage. As Prime Minister Modi stated in a recent interview: “This G20 is reflecting the voice and concerns of the Global South. This G20 is giving momentum to womenled development.” I P12 SILVER 74,000.00700 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 84.930.13 Biden to arrive in Delhi today, will hold bilateral with Modi Modi proposes 12-point plan to promote India-ASEAN cooperation Min: 27.0 °C (+1) SUN SETS 18:35 hrs MOON SETS 15:20 hrs 'Always believed in Sarva Dharma Sambhav': Amid controversy over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks on 'Sanatan Dharma', the Congress on Thursday said that it has always believed in 'Sarva Dharma Sambhav' wherein every religion and every faith has space and no one can treat any particular faith as less than any other faith. GOLD 59,890.00110 US OPEN: CARLOS ALCARAZ STORMS INTO SEMI-FINALS Code of Conduct for SCE should be effective, in line with UNCLOS: Modi TEMPERATURE People participate in a procession to celebrate Janmaashtami in Srinagar on Thursday. SNS P4 India fully supports ASEAN centrality: PM Max.76% Min. 50 % Max: 37.7°C (+4) SUN RISES 06:02 hrs MOON RISES 00:36 hrs ‘PM’S COMMENTS AGAINST UDHAYANIDHI UNFAIR’ Acknowledging the need for special attention to be paid to natural disasters, the Indian Presidency created a new group on Disaster Risk Reduction this year. Alongside, it introduced two new groups ~ the Startup 20 Engagement Group to focus on the priority promotion of a successful start-up ecosystem globally, as well as the G20 Chief Scientific Advisers Roundtable (CSAR). Science being a cross-cutting subject in all 13 engagements under the Sherpa track, CSAR is an unprecedented attempt at creating a dialogue between all Chief Science Advisers to build synergy among various sectors. It is a government-to-government level initiative for developing collaborative frameworks for global issues pertaining to science policy. In its path towards an equal future, India has consistently emphasized the need to change the growth narrative from the development of women to women-led development. India's Presidency has been the first one to formulate an action plan to uphold Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. India's efforts in this area have successfully led to an agreement between the G20 nations to create a Working Group solely for women's empowerment ~ the first meeting of which will be convened during Brazil's G20 Presidency next year. Technology has been a key priorityfortheIndianPresidency, with many steps taken to promote better policy-making in the digital realm. The G2O for the first time formulated High Level Principles on harnessing Data for Development. These can guide developing countries, especially, to maximize their potential for the achievement of the SDGs, while respecting their development and policy priorities. To this end, India has launched a voluntary "Data for Development Capacity Building Initiative" which will provide capacity building training for policy-makers, officials andotherstakeholdersfromdeveloping countries. India organized the first G20 Conference to discuss Cybercrime - to specifically deliberate on challenges in the era of new and emerging technologies like Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), A view of the illuminated Bharat Mandapam, the venue of G20 summit, ahead of the summit in New Delhi.  ANI Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Metaverse. Time and again, India has reiterated its commitment to protecting the environment and has delivered on this through the creation of the first G20 High Level Principles on Lifestyles for Sustainable Development. It aims to take urgent action to mainstream and scale up complementarities in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, waste, land degradation and deforestation through sustainable consumption and production patterns. The upcoming Leaders' Summit in New Delhi is set to host an unprecedented gathering of 43 Heads of State, marking the largest assembly of leaders in the history of the G20. The convergence of these leaders symbolises a needed effort to foster cooperation amid geopolitical differences in a quest to find shared solutions for a world facing complex existential challenges. In his speech at the G20 Culture Ministerial, Prime Minister Modi highlighted several unique initiatives by India during its presidency. He drew our attention to the Prime Ministers' Museum in New Delhi, "a one-of-a-kind effort to showcase India's democratic heritage." On its completion, the 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat' National Museum is slated to be the world's largest museum showcasing India's history and culture spanning over 5,000 years. India has articulated several of its own priorities through concrete actions at the G20. The Global Biofuels Alliance, for instance, has secured involvement of 15 countries and 12 international organisations. It is a multi-stakeholder alliance aimed at facilitating cooperation and increasing the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector. It will place emphasis on strength- ening markets, facilitating global biofuels trade, development of concrete policy lesson-sharing and provision of technical support for national biofuels programmes worldwide. There have been heightened efforts for handling health related emergencies subsequent to the Covid pandemic. India has championed the One Health framework that looks at using a science and risk-based approach to strengthen existing infectious disease surveillance systems, including at the community-level, and addressing the nexus between climate change and health. India has also looked at promoting more nutritious crop production for better health. The G20 Millet and Other Ancient Grains International Research Initiative (MAHARISHI) launched in Varanasi, establishes an active collaboration between public and private organizations to advance research and awareness of climate resilient grains, especially millets. As global travel continues to pick up pace, India was at the helm of envisioning a world that places sustainable tourism at its heart. The Goa Roadmap has been formulated which looks to providing national governments in the G20 countries and beyond, as well as other tourism players, with voluntary tools and recommendations to leverage the sector's capability to progress the SDGs. As Prime Minister Modi eloquently stated: “The poor and the planet, both need to be helped. India is moving ahead on this with not only a positive attitude but also a mindset of driving solutions. If we do not include developing countries, how can we realize Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam? How can there be One Earth, One Family, One Future?” (The writer is a former Foreign Secretary. ) SNS & AGENCIES WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, 7 SEPTEMBER US President Joe Biden will arrive in New Delhi on Friday and is scheduled to hold a bilateral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addition to attending the leaders’ summit of the G20 group of nations. According to a White House press release, Mr Biden has a packed schedule during his three-day trip to India. After his arrival in New Delhi on Friday, the US President is scheduled to participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the same day. On Saturday, he will participate in an official arrival and handshake with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US President will then participate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit Session 1: “One Earth”. Later in the day, he is slated to take part in the G20 Leaders’ Summit Session 2: “One Family” of the G20. Mr Biden will also participate in a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Invest- ment event. His day will wrap with a dinner and cultural programme with G20 leaders. On Sunday, the US President will visit Raj Ghat Memorial along with other G20 leaders. Mr Biden is then scheduled to travel from New Delhi to Hanoi, Vietnam. Mr Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to hold a discussion on the agenda of G20, particularly the economic cooperation and multilateral investment opportunities, that stand before it and can be on the American leader's strong desire to see multilateral development bank reform and reshaping, a White House official said. John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, said that there is “very little possibility” that PM Modi and President Biden will talk about climate and the ongoing Ukraine war. Meanwhile, ahead of Mr Biden’s arrival, New Delhi has done away with additional duties on some American products like chickpeas, lentils, and apples.