Foreign Secy Harsh Vardhan Shringla to be G20 coordinator
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be appointed as coordinator for the G20 summit, which will be hosted by India in 2023, sources said on Saturday.
Shringla, who retires on April 30, will take charge of his new role as G20 coordinator on May 1.
This is a newly created role for organising the summit, which will include both substantive aspects as well as logistics. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will remain the G20 sherpa.
G20 members represent more than 80 per cent of the world’s GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and 60 per cent of the world’s population.
Sources said every G20 presidency in the past has utilised the opportunity to shape the global discourse on key socio-economic and contemporary issues.
“The upcoming G20 presidency is India’s chance to do the same and to put ourselves on the global stage and take initiatives on issues relevant for us,” the source said.
The G20 summit in 2023 will be the biggest-ever multilateral event to be hosted in India in recent years. “It will be a tremendous opportunity for India to showcase its infrastructure, rich culture and diversity, and hospitality at the global stage,” the source said.
“We have not hosted any multilateral event on this scale before. It will entail the P5 delegations being together in India for the first time ever, as well as some of the world’s largest economies,” the source said.
“The year under our G20 Presidency will require us to organise around 190 meetings, including 1-2 Leaders’ Summit and several ministerial-level meetings,” the source said.
Hosting an in-person G20 Summit would involve around 37 delegations — including P-5 and seven international organisations and five special invitees, 10,000 international delegates, 5,000 international media, requirement of approximately 15,000 hotel rooms and 10,000-12,000 vehicles, and nearly 30,000 police or security personnel.
