Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a comprehensive agenda for global action at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. His address focused on fostering responsible technology, reforming global governance, and introducing six new G20-led initiatives spanning health, skills, and security.
Vision for AI Ethics and Accountability
In the session focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), PM Modi emphasized the urgent need for a Global Compact on AI to prevent misuse and ensure the technology serves humanity.
- Human-Centricity: Modi stressed that AI must remain human-centric, transparent, and responsible.
- Preventing Misuse: He called for a global effort to implement restrictions and safeguards to prevent AI from being abused in areas like deepfakes, crime, and terrorism.
- Accountability: AI systems that impact public trust must be auditable and accountable, with the final decision-making power always resting with humans.
Six-Point Agenda for New G20 Initiatives
PM Modi proposed six major initiatives for the G20 to drive collective global progress:
- G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus: A concerted, unified effort to combat drug trafficking, which serves as a major funding channel for terrorism.
- G20 Global Healthcare Response Team: Creation of rapid-deployment medical units, comprising trained professionals from member nations, ready to respond to pandemics and natural disasters.
- G20 Africa-Skills Multiplier Initiative: A program to build a future-ready workforce in Africa by targeting the creation of one million certified trainers over the next decade.
- Global Traditional Knowledge Repository: A platform to preserve and share traditional, eco-balanced, and culturally rich knowledge systems for public benefit.
- G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership: Making satellite data from G20 space agencies accessible to developing countries for applications like disaster management and agriculture.
- G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative: Focuses on improving sustainability and supply chain security in the minerals sector through circular economy methods like recycling and urban mining.
Call for UN Security Council Reforms
On the sidelines of the G20, at the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi stressed that the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) is no longer merely an option but a necessity. He urged the IBSA grouping to collectively send a strong message demanding fairer and more inclusive global governance structures that reflect 21st-century realities.