A recent international summit in New Delhi brought leaders and heads of nations of the G20 grouping to discuss and debate pressing issues concerning our globe – including climate change, economy, poverty, war and conflict, diseases, and inequality.

However, sustainable development would be vital to addressing these concerns and ensuring that our globe is pollution-free and not exhausted of its natural resources, thus ensuring that future generations can meet their needs. Several of these challenges are interconnected in nature, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change, and sustainable development offers a working framework that promises to address them holistically. Take, for example, poverty; sustainable development provides an approach for inclusive policies that benefit all and not just a select few. Or, for that matter, environmental degradation, where it offers a framework for implementing sustainable practices to protect the environment.

Nations in the G20 account for 80% of the world’s population and about 85% of the economy. The grouping has come a long way since its inception in 1999. Since 2008, summits have grown bigger and have been held every year with the head of the state participating. Although the initial idea of G20 was to devise policies and frameworks for global financial stability, it is now also a platform for addressing other global concerns.

It was an excellent opportunity for India, the world’s most populated country and a fast-emerging economy, to showcase its leadership on the world stage. The good thing is that G20 is not just a talk shop; commitments made here are taken forward concretely. For example, in the 2009 G20 summit, a declaration to reduce........

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