Ministry of External Affairs Government of India

Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan (MoS) participated in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM), held under the Brazilian G20 Presidency, on 21-22 February 2024, in Rio de Janeiro. Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegation of G20 Members, invited countries and International Organizations participated in the FMM, that was chaired by Mr. Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.

At the Session-I of the FMM "G20’s role in dealing with ongoing international tensions” on 21 February 2024, MoS expressed India’s steadfast support to Brazil’s G20 Presidency and noted that four developing countries (Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa) are holding the G20 Presidency in a row. Recalling the inclusion of African Union (AU) in the G20 last year, he welcomed the AU to its first G20 FMM as a permanent G20 Member.

​MoS emphasized the importance of an inclusive and action-oriented response to contemporary global challenges, which have a disproportionate impact on the Global South. He recalled the valuable consensus achieved in the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), and urged the G20 to maintain its focus on development related issues and accelerate progress on all the agreed NDLD decisions and outcomes.

​At the Session-II of the FMM on "Global Governance Reform” on 22 February 2024, MoS noted that the global order has undergone dramatic changes since the creation of the present multilateral governance architecture in the 20th century, and emphasized the critical need for a paradigm shift in the structures and working methods of key global institutions to make them more responsive to contemporary challenges. Recalling that the G20 Leaders had, in the NDLD, agreed to deliver better, bigger more effective and more representative Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), he called for enhanced financial flows to enable accelerated progress SDGs and climate action. He stressed the importance of open, transparent and outcome-oriented process of UN reforms, including the UN Security Council, in a defined timeframe. He reiterated India’s support to policies that enable trade and investment to serve as an engine of growth and prosperity for all.

​MoS also attended the official dinner hosted jointly by the Brazilian Foreign Minister and Mayor of Rio on 21 February, as well as a farewell lunch hosted by the Brazilian Foreign Minister on 22 February, for the visiting G20 Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegations. MoS interacted with several participating FMs on the sidelines of the FMM, had a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Eng. Omar Paganini and met members of the local Indian community in Rio.

​MoS participated in the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 22 February, after the FMM. It comprised of two sessions, one on "IBSA: Perspectives and Institutional Development” and another on "G20”. IBSA Ministers emphasized the importance of IBSA solidarity and convergence, and agreed on the need to boost functional cooperation in areas of shared interest.

New Delhi
February 23, 2024