Senate Chair Jan Anthonie Bruijn took part in the ninth G20 (P20) Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in New Delhi on 13 and 14 October 2023. The Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha (lower house) and the Rajya Sabha (upper house), held this two-day conference on the occasion of the G20 presidency in India this year.
In short
The G20 is a group of countries consisting of 19 large economies and the European Union. For the fifth time, the Netherlands as a non-G20 country was invited to participate as a guest. From Europe there were (deputy) presidents from England, Spain, Italy and the European Parliament. Not present were the United States, Germany, France and Canada (the latter due to diplomatic tensions with India). P20 focuses on sustainability goals, sustainable energy, women-led development and public digital platforms. A number of leaders referred to Hamas attacks in Israel.
This conference provides an opportunity to discuss with fellow DPR Chairmen. The Dutch Ambassador to India, Marisa Gerards, and her team were closely involved in the preparations and were present throughout the conference. After that, Bruijn was received at the ambassador’s residence and briefed on Dutch efforts in India in the agricultural, health and consular fields. Senate Clerk, Remco Nehmelman, along for the ride.
Opening by Prime Minister Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed international guests on behalf of India’s 1.4 billion people. He hailed India as the ‘mother of democracy’ and said the world’s largest democracy held the most challenging elections using modern technology such as electronic voting machines. “A world full of conflict and confrontation is not in anyone’s interests. A divided world offers no solutions to the great problems facing humanity. “This is a time for peace and brotherhood, to walk together towards the future,” said Prime Minister Modi. to a packed audience.
Om Birla, Chairman of the Lok Sabha – India’s lower house, said: “For us in a democracy, this is a priceless legacy. This is reflected in our thinking, behavior and traditions. When we became independent, democracy was the foundation of our nation. The ninth P20 Summit represents our commitment to preserving democratic values, international cooperation, and finding solutions to the important issues and global challenges of today.” He also spoke about the recently adopted constitutional amendment, which allocates a third of the seats in parliament for women. According to Birla, in this way women are enabled to participate in decision making.
Chairman Bruijn was one of the main speakers with the theme of transforming people’s lives through public digital platforms. Bruijn noted that with the introduction of digital public infrastructure, digital services can bring major changes to people’s lives, providing access to payments, finance, healthcare, education and more. “There are many advantages to this service being easily accessible when you have the right resources. But at the same time, advantages can also be disadvantages if you don’t have access to these public digital platforms. Then you will be left out. ” He argued that parliament could play a role in bringing these issues up for discussion. He also referred to the importance of checking with the Minister of Digital Affairs and other ministers whether new initiatives and laws benefit all citizens, including those who do not have the same starting position.
The P20 adopted a joint statement reaffirming its commitment to advancing peace, prosperity and sovereignty and international harmony, including supporting the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes. The text also calls on all countries to uphold the principles of international law, including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and a multilateral system that guarantees peace and stability. Due to his neutral position, the Chair cannot directly associate himself with political content, but the importance of the issues and intentions raised is acknowledged, as is also contained in the statement.
Next year, Brazil will chair the G20 and the P20 will be hosted by the Brazilian parliament. G20 countries represent 85% of the world economy, two-thirds of the world’s population, and 75% of international trade. Apart from the Netherlands, India invited the following guests to the P20 in New Delhi: Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
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