For the first time, India presided over the G20. India has been an active participant in the troika—a group that includes the incoming, previous, and current presidencies—since 2021 to ensure that the G20 Agenda remains consistent.

India's presidency will be more than just a role change; rather, it will be a leap forward toward fulfilling leadership roles in the G20's emerging economies, which already account for 80% of the world's GDP and two thirds of the world's population. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which must be achieved by 2030, the themes of sustainable growth and inclusivity are a focus area as our focus regions and priorities during the presidency are being shaped. Additionally, one of the seven chosen task forces during India's presidency is accelerating the SDGs.

In the past, the Indian government's agenda included sustainable and inclusive growth; Inclusionary growth was the primary focus of the eleventh five-year plan (2007-2012). The Union Budget 2022 also outlined the development plan for the next 25 years known as "India's Amritkaal" to move toward a futuristic, prosperous, inclusive, and developed society that is distinguished by a human-centered approach at its core. This plan serves as a continuum to the various steps taken for sustainability and inclusivity.

In this context, India's G20 presidency has the potential to accelerate our commitments to various SDGs, which the government has already initiated holistically. The promising trio of India, Brazil, and Indonesia will form the G20 troika during India's presidency. They have enormous potential to balance mutual growth interests while also continuing the G20 Agenda. The trio can work toward achieving SDGs 1, 2, and 3 (No poverty, hunger, and ensuring good health) by ensuring health and well-being in the region and eradicating poverty. However, progress is difficult to achieve in the face of rising temperatures and shifting climate patterns.

The World Bank says that since the 1970s, there have been more droughts in parts of South Asia, making it much drier. In the region, crop yields are also expected to decrease significantly by the 2040s. This can have a significant impact on income and food security for India's agricultural economy, which is fed by the monsoon, and it can also have an impact on good health and wellbeing. As a result, climate-resilient cropping and organic farming techniques, drought-resistant crop development, scientific assistance for farmers, and other technology-driven models are urgently required. These measures will enable us to achieve SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), which is our goal for the first three SDGs.

Additionally, the IPCC's sixth assessment report has expressed concern about potentially devastating climatic events that will have an impact on the Indian landscape, including heatwaves, urban flooding, and rising sea levels. The annual vicissitudes of climate change—frequent tropical cyclones, cloud bursts, and decreased fish yield—have a significant impact on the communities of fishermen along India's 7,500-kilometer coastline.

As a result, Indian-led initiatives like the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) must benefit from the presidency. At the first International Solar Alliance summit in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the concept of "One Sun, One World, One Grid" (OSOWOG), which would partner with the Green Grid Initiative (GGI) of the United Kingdom to construct a global green energy grid. India will be able to take on leadership roles in the G20 club during the upcoming presidency tenure, paving the way for the achievement of SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy).

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about sustainability and the need to foster a spirit of universal brotherhood through the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam at the G20 Bali summit in 2022, India reiterated its goal of being sustainable. As a result, the PM's vision of the presidency as one that is ambitious, inclusive, decisive, and action-oriented can become more fruitful if the sustainable development goals are realized more quickly.