Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the G20 to fundamentally rethink global development parameters, proposing four new initiatives, including a mechanism to counter the drug-terror nexus and a global healthcare response team.
Addressing the opening session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting, Modi said the grouping had shaped global finance and growth, but the dominant development models had deprived large sections of the world of resources while driving the over-exploitation of nature, pressures felt sharply across Africa.
Invoking India’s civilisational philosophy, he said the principle of Integral Humanism offered a pathway to strike a balance between development and nature.
Modi unveiled four proposals: a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository; the G20-Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative; a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team; and the G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus.
Acknowledging that the summit was being held in Africa for the first time, he said the emphasis on reconciling development and environmental pressures was timely, noting that the continent had long suffered from extractive practices.
“Now is the right moment for us to revisit our development parameters and focus on growth that is inclusive and sustainable. India’s civilisational values, especially the principle of Integral Humanism, offer a way forward,” Modi said during the session on ‘Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind.’
The proposed Global Traditional Knowledge Repository would draw from India’s Indian Knowledge Systems initiative and document eco-balanced, culturally rich and socially cohesive ways of living, preserving them for future generations.
Under the G20-Africa Skills Multiplier, Modi proposed a train-the-trainers programme across key sectors, supported and funded by all G20 members. “The collective target is to create one million certified trainers in Africa over the next decade, who will then help skill millions of young people,” he said.
Expressing concern over the rapid spread of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, Modi warned of their impact on public health, social stability and global security. He called for a G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus, aimed at aligning financial, governance and security tools to dismantle trafficking networks and choke illicit financial flows.
“The initiative will help disrupt trafficking networks, choke illicit financial flows, and weaken a major funding source for terrorism,” he said.
Modi also proposed a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, comprising trained medical experts from member nations who could be rapidly deployed during health emergencies and natural disasters.
Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed Modi to the summit venue with a ‘namaste’. Modi was also seen in informal discussions with global leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
