War causing immense human suffering: G20 declaration

Source: The post is based on the article “War causing immense human suffering: G20 declaration” published in The Hindu on 17th November 2022

What is the News?

The G20 Bali Declaration was finally adopted by consensus even though it failed to overcome serious differences over the Russia-Ukraine war.

What are the key highlights of the G20 Bali Declaration?

On Russia-Ukraine war: The declaration acknowledged differences among members on the Russia-Ukraine war but stressed that it was “essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system” as “today’s era must not be of war”.

– It also said that the threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.

– The declaration also recognised that G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues. However, it agreed that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.

On Terrorism: The declaration called upon the international community to “step up” efforts to counter money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing and urged the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF Style Regional Bodies to “lead global action” to respond to these threats.

Other issues covered: The declaration covered a range of issues from climate change to corruption, and from Covid vaccination to imparting computer skills to women.

How has India contributed to this G20 declaration?

The G20 declaration proclaimed “today’s era must not be of war”, echoing the Indian PM’s remarks before the Russian President on the sidelines of the SCO summit in September.

The declaration also strongly endorsed the Indian PM’s emphasis on three key points: the threat of the use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible, diplomacy and dialogue and today’s era must not be of war.