NEW DELHI, June 12, 2023 (BSS)-Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed the delegates at the venue for the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting (DMM) formally began this morning in Varanasi, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The Varanasi Development Ministers’ Meeting is taking place amidst mounting of developmental challenges that have been further aggravated by the economic slowdown, debt distress, impacts of climate change and food and energy insecurity.

As many as 200 delegates including ministers, officials and development experts of G20 and its guest countries have been attending the event being held under the G20 Indian Presidency.

Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen, who is attending the meeting at the invitation of his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, will make interventions in different sessions of the high profile G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting.  

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a special video address at the meeting where he described development as a core issue for the countries of the Global South as they are severely impacted by the disruptions created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the food, fuel, and fertilizer crises because of geo-political tensions.

“I strongly believe that it is our collective responsibility not to let the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fall behind. We must ensure that no one is left behind. It is imperative for this group to send a strong message to the world that we have an action plan to achieve this,” he added.

Modi hoped that the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting will be an opportunity to collectively agree on actions for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs and foster synergies between the development, environment and climate agendas.

According to official sources, the meeting will consist of two main sessions, one on "Multilateralism: Collective Actions for Accelerating Progress towards SDGs” and another on "Green Development: A LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) Approach”.

The Development Ministers’ Meeting was preceded by the fourth and final Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting, which was held in Delhi from June 6-9.

Cultural programmes, exhibitions and excursions have also been organized to provide the delegates a glimpse into the rich culture and traditions of Varanasi, one of the oldest cities in the world.