Speakers:

• Sujan Chinoy

  Chair, T20 India Core Group & Director General, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India

• Luciana Servo

  President, Institute of Applied Economic Research, Brazil

• Bambang Brodjonegoro

  Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, Indonesia

• Elizabeth Sidiropoulos

  Chief Executive, South African Institute of International Affairs, South Africa

Chair:

• Samir Saran

  Chair, T20 India Secretariat & Member, T20 India Core Group; President, Observer Research Foundation, India

• Amitabh Kant

  G20 Sherpa, India

• H.E. Mehdi Jomaa

  Former Prime Minister of Tunisia

Globally, the pandemic accelerated digitalisation and technology adoption on a massive scale. This has caused tech regulation to struggle to keep pace with the rate of change, and it is also widening gaps between the G20 nations in terms of their capacity to harness technology for development. Without strategic equity-focused interventions, an already uneven landscape of access to tech, digital skills, and the smart use of data, risks becoming increasingly more uneven.

Speakers:

• Mahima Kaul

  Head of Public Policy, APAC, Bumble, India

• Anir Chowdhury

  Policy Advisor of the a2i Programme, ICT Division and the Cabinet Division of the Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh

• Baratang Miya

  Founder and CEO, Girlhype Women Who Code, South Africa

• Erin Watson

  Founder and Managing Director, Baker & York, Australia

Chair:

• Sharad Sharma

  Co-Founder, iSPIRT Foundation, India

The LiFE initiative represents a unique Indian effort to mainstream sustainable consumption and climate-resilient lifestyles in order to build a cleaner, greener planet. However, to realise the full potential of the movement, there is a need to develop metrics for quantifying and benchmarking acts of sustainable consumption and production, and for identifying specific interventions that will enable consumers to transition to more sustainable lifestyles. This panel will deliberate on the policies and pathways that can enable different communities and economies to attain lifestyles for sustainable development based on the deliberations of Think20’s Task Force 3.

Speakers:

• Eenam Gambhir

  Joint Secretary (G20), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

• Gladys Lechini

  Professor, International Relations, National University of Rosario, Argentina

• Noura Mansouri

  Research Fellow, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Saudi Arabia

• Dilanthi Nadeeka Koralagama

  Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Chair:

• Sachin Chaturvedi

  Member, T20 India Core Group & Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India

The global financial order is no longer deemed fit-for-purpose for a multipolar world. There is a need to reimagine a new financial order that can enable higher financial flows at lower costs, and with greater predictability. This panel will discuss core action points recommended by the Think20’s Task Force 5, including the need for global financial governance reforms that support greater infusions of private capital, equip multilateral development banks (MDBs) to finance a wide range of transboundary challenges more effectively, and help expand the use of Special Drawing Rights.

Speakers:

• Hans Peter Lankes

  Visiting Professor in Practice, Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics, UK

• Riatu Qibthiyyah

  Senior Researcher, Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia, Indonesia

• Amar Bhattacharya

  Senior Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Development, Brookings USA, USA

• Bambang Brodjonegoro

  Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, Indonesia

Chair:

• Ashima Goyal

  Emeritus Professor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, India

The promotion of women-led development is a gender-transformative approach that foregrounds the role of women’s leadership for achieving progress, and envisions a new narrative of social, economic, and political transformation. Women-led development is a priority of the Indian G20 Presidency, and in June 2023, Prime Minister Modi urged the G20 nations to adopt a “game-changing action plan” in this regard. Currently, women constitute less than a third of the global workforce and gendered digital divides exist. A strong focus on women’s leadership and their participation in the digital economy could, however, unlock talent on an unprecedented scale and increase the global GDP by US$ 5 billion.

Speakers:

• Maria Fernanda Espinosa

  Executive Director, GWL Voices; Former President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations

• Tetsushi Sonobe

  Dean and CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute, and Chair, Think7 Japan

• Saachi Bhalla

  Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, India

• Stephanie Diepeveen

  Senior Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute, UK

Chair:

• Shamika Ravi

  Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, India

Addressing climate change will require a robust transition to clean energy that is not only ambitious but also equitable and inclusive. A just transition will necessitate an energy transformation in developing economies that can also ensure improved access to affordable energy as a prerequisite for poverty alleviation and improved living standards. Achieving this goal will require reimagining global cooperation to catalyse increased technological and financial support for the Global South. The panel will present the central ideas emanating from the deliberations of the Think20’s Task Force 4, that focus on refuelling growth and energy transitions.

Speakers:

• Ulka Kelkar

  Head, Climate Program, World Resources Institute, India

• Albert Park

  Chief Economist, Asian Development Bank

• Barbara Buchner

  Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative, USA

• John J. Kirton

  Director, G20 Research Group, University of Toronto, Canada

Chair:

• Suranjali Tandon

  Associate Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India

• S. Jaishankar

  Minister of External Affairs, India

The panel will discuss green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of challenges (and opportunities) provided by the current global financial architecture. It will reflect on the role that the G20 and international financial institutions can play to support national macro-economic policy interventions in a way that contributes to climate resilience and reduces social vulnerabilities, recognising that previous policy paradigms are no longer appropriate. Proposed tools for tracking green policy responses will be discussed to explore how these can help policy makers further enhance the climate sensitivity of their macroeconomic policies.

Context setting:

• Joseph Matola

  Economist, South African Institute of International Affairs, South Africa

• Awa Diouf

  Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, UK

Speakers:

• Gülbin Şahinbeyoğlu

  Center Director, Economic Data Analysis Center, Economic Policy Research Foundation, Türkiye

• Dennis Snower

  President, Global Solutions Initiative, Germany

• Haihong Gao

  Director of Research Center for International Finance, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China

Chair:

• Elizabeth Sidiropoulos

  Chief Executive, South African Institute of International Affairs, South Africa

Macroeconomic coordination and trade policy coherence go hand in hand with job creation and the provision of livelihoods. The G20 has evolved mechanisms to coordinate macroeconomic policy and develop coherent trade policies that serve critical sectors of the global economy. However, these mechanisms can only function optimally if the vital link between macroeconomic stability and trade volatility is acknowledged and acted upon. This panel will present key findings from the deliberations of the Think20’s Task Force 1 on how a pro-growth balance between trade and livelihoods can be sustained.

Speakers:

• Abla Abdel Latif

  Executive Director and Director of Research, The Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies, Egypt

• Heungchong Kim

  President, The Korean Association of the APEC Studies

• Vera Helena Thorstensen

  Head, Center for Global Trade and Investment Studies, Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Brazil

• Yose Rizal Damuri

  Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia

Chair:

• Radhicka Kapoor

  Senior Visiting Fellow, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, India

As the world approaches the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda’s implementation, two trends are clear. First, a few nations are on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, but most are not. Second, most global challenges have not been created by the Global South, but the latter is disproportionately affected by them. In the context of the ongoing mid-term review of the SDGs, there is a need to build institutional frameworks at both global and national levels to support the adoption of innovative policy solutions and practices aligned with the 2030 Agenda. This panel will discuss the principal recommendations of the Think20’s Task Force 6 about possible measures to accelerate efforts to achieve the SDGs.

Speakers:

• Pamla Gopaul

  Senior Programme Officer and Lead Coordinator Policy Bridge Tank Programme, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD

• Jacqueline Kitulu

  Chairperson of the Board, Rocket Health, Kenya

• Gopalkrishna A Tadas

  Visiting Fellow, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India

• Nitya Mohan Khemka

  Senior Fellow, PATH, India

Chair:

• Anna-Katharina Hornidge

  Director, German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Germany

Speakers:

• Muktesh Pardeshi

  Special Secretary (G20), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, India

Chair:

• Sachin Chaturvedi

  Member, T20 India Core Group & Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India

Global multilateral institutions no longer reflect the realities of the 21st century. The UN framework is being undermined by great power competition and there are wide-ranging calls for reforming multilateral development banks. Multilateralism 2.0 requires reform focused on transforming existing state-centric multilateral institutions into flexible, transnational multilateral frameworks, and building an inclusive multi-stakeholder governance system that can respond to contemporary challenges. This panel will present the position of the Think20’s Task Force 7 on reforms for specific multilateral institutions, as well as the innovations required for a new era of global governance.

Speakers:

• Maria Elena Agüero

  Secretary General, Club de Madrid, Spain

• Rina Mussali Galante

  Advisor to the Board of Directors, Mexican Council of International Affairs (COMEXI), Mexico

• Antonio Villafranca

  Director of Studies and Co-Head, Europe and Global Governance Centre, Italian Institute for International Political Studies, Italy

• Andre de Mello e Souza

  Senior Research Fellow, The Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), Brazil

Chair:

• Leslie Vinjamuri

  Director, US and the Americas Programme; Dean, Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, Chatham House, UK

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) has emerged as a powerful and practical tool for building equitable and inclusive digital societies and enabling public and private digital innovation. The analysis and promotion of DPIs has been a core priority of India’s G20 Presidency. This panel will present the perspectives of the Think20’s Task Force 2 on the need for robust techno-legal frameworks to govern DPIs; DPIs’ potential to facilitate public service delivery at population scale; their ability to unleash innovation by allowing governments and businesses to design novel applications; and their role as an enabler of emerging technologies like AI.

Speakers:

• Chada El Islam Manel Benmahcene

  Co-Founder & CEO, ENTROGX Startup Incubator, Algeria

• Chintan Vaishnav

  Chair, StartUp20, India

• Parminder Jeet Singh

  Director, IT for Change, India

• Youn Jung Park

  Director, India Korea Center for Research and Innovation, India

Chair:

• Astha Kapoor

  Co-founder, Aapti Institute, India

As the presidency for the G20 passes to Brazil, there is a need to build on the priorities identified by Indonesia and India. Ensuring continuity and cohesion between the emerging economies that make up the current troika will be critical to further the role of the G20 as the premium forum for policy coordination on critical global challenges. This session will provide a first glimpse of the possible contours of Brazil’s G20 priorities.

Speakers:

• Luciana Servo

  President, Institute of Applied Economic Research, Brazil

• Maria Fernanda Espinosa

  Executive Director, GWL Voices; Former President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations

• Marcos Caramuru

  Member of the International Advisory Board, Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), Brazil

• Almir Nascimento

  Director, International Relations Research Institute, Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation, Brazil

Chair:

• Harsh V. Pant

  Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation, India

Speakers:

• Sujan Chinoy

  Chair, T20 India Core Group & Director General, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India

• Samir Saran

  Chair, T20 India Secretariat & Member, T20 India Core Group; President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Globally, two critical issues continue to act as a deterrent for a rapid and inclusive energy transition. First, reliable and accessible supply chains for critical minerals remain a key prerequisite to ensure the proliferation of green energy across critical sectors. Second, for the energy transition to also create jobs and spur economic growth, SMEs must be increasingly included in the global climate discourse with a focus on ensuring that these entities can access clean energy at affordable prices. Policies and regulations need to be designed to ensure that these two issues can be addressed in a holistic manner, necessitating complementary interventions at the global and local levels.

Special Address:

• Tae-Yoon Kim

  Senior Energy Analyst, International Energy Agency

Speakers:

• Mohua Mukherjee

  Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK

• Françoise Nicolas

  Director, French Institute of International Relations, France

• Stormy-Annika Mildner

  Executive Director, Aspen Institute, Germany

• Fabio Vera Soares

  Director of International Studies, Institute for Applied Economic Research, Brazil

Chair:

• Tirthankar Mandal

  Head of Energy Policy, World Resources Institute, India

As we approach the mid-term review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2023, the global development paradigm finds itself at a critical crossroad. The world has been moving from crisis to crisis, inflicting concerning repercussions on developing nations and the most vulnerable communities. It is now imperative that we address the urgent need to combat the escalating forces of global warming and climate change while striving to achieve the SDGs. The interconnectedness of these issues is undeniable – addressing climate change is not only essential for achieving the SDGs but also vital for building climate resilience and mitigation efforts. Recognising the intersectionality of climate change and the SDGs is key to developing effective solutions to both challenges.

Speakers:

• Neera Nundy

  Co-Founder, DASRA, India

• Li Xiaoyun

  Chair Professor, China Agricultural University (CAU), China

• Danang Parikesit

  Professor, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

• Vijay Datta

  Principal, Modern School (Barakhamba Road), India

• Prarthana Ramesh

  Head - Environment City-Systems, Janaagraha, India

• Uthara Narayanan

  Co-Founder, Buzz Women, India

Chair:

• Aparna Roy

  Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation, India

The UN Global Stocktake, scheduled to conclude at COP28, will serve as a pivotal moment for assessing global climate action. To chart a viable course towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050, it is now imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current emissions trajectories until 2030 to make necessary adjustments and ensure a fair and inclusive transition worldwide, drawing lessons from past mistakes and optimising future opportunities.

Speakers:

• Mallika Ishwaran

  Chief Economist, Shell International, UK

• Matthias Caton

  Director of Corporate Development, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany

• Paul Samson

  President, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Canada

• Vibha Dhawan

  Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute, India

Chair:

• Nilanjan Ghosh

  Director, Think20 India Secretariat, Center for New Economic Diplomacy and ORF Kolkata, India

The concept of ‘global digital commons’ (UN, 2020) constitutes a key component of the emerging Global Digital Compact of the United Nations. The concept comprises data, information, culture, and knowledge created and maintained online.

Under the Indian Presidency of the G20, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) – a concept closely related to digital commons – is prominently taken up in Task Force 2 of the Think20 engagement group. It addresses questions on how DPI can serve global good as well as its relevance for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. With India Stack, India has taken a pioneering role in developing an effective DPI ecosystem. To build on India’s vast experiences in the field of DPI and potentially contribute to the development of techno-legal regulatory frameworks at the global scale, the G20 needs to develop a joint understanding of core principles and values that govern digital resources.

These will be particularly relevant for other countries - like the EU, which has made pathbreaking progress in digital consumer protection, and the continent of Africa where fintech has already made progress. Combining this with proven, open-source, open-network public infrastructure models will power citizens, innovators and governments internationally.

This event aims to contrast international perspectives on the topic, employ pragmatic approaches for cooperation that will help develop shared visions and utilise digital commons for “an open, free, and secure digital future for all” in an interactive workshop format.