Bangladesh is not a member of the G20 but it has been invited like another 19 non-group countries by India, the current president of the world's premier forum for global economic cooperation and the meeting's host. In all, 40 countries along with multilateral organisations have participated in the meeting. Only the foreign minister of Japan could not attend the meeting owing to domestic compulsions.
The G20 meetings of the finance ministers and foreign ministers have been held at a most critical time when bleak economic prospects, hunger, malnutrition and a host of attendant ills stare in the face of the world. A universal consensus on measures equal to tackling the falling economic growth, rising inflation, shrinking demand for goods and services along with soaring prices of foods, fuel and agricultural inputs was most urgent.
Geo-politics has been nasty and the contending parties show no signs of relenting in the face of sufferings of the humanity. Many are used as the pawns on checkers board and some are as simple fodders to the political and armed conflicts. No party is ready to surrender its strategic advantages. It would be too much to expect that the foreign ministers will succeed where the finance ministers failed to make the ice thaw.
True, India and Bangladesh have of late found themselves in an unenviable position of global frictions. If India's boundary dispute with China has helped drift it towards America which confronts China over the Red Sea and Taiwan issues, Bangladesh has no such contentious issues with any of the big players. A flurry of diplomatic visits by high officials of the countries concerned to Bangladesh of late attests to the fact that these are directed to woo this country maintaining a neutral stance. Some of the actions such as refusal to allow a US-blacklisted ship carrying equipment and accessories for Rooppur nuclear power plant from Russia to berth at Bangladesh ports it could not help taking have put it in an awkward position. This has been somewhat counterbalanced when Bangladesh along with 31 countries abstained from voting when a UN General Assembly resolution calling for Russia's immediate withdraw from Ukraine was mooted recently.
It is clear that much of the woe of the world now originates from Ukraine conflict and still there is no serious initiative to bring an end to the war. The latest Chinese proposal, much as it may have its merit, is unlikely to be acceptable to the West because they find themselves in opposing camps over the war in Ukraine. The whole world is now paying for a senseless war, the poor and emerging countries only more so.
Welcoming the foreign ministers on Wednesday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reminded the attendants that multilaterism is in grave crisis today. So, there is a need for reviving the spirit of the 'architecture of the global governance created after the Second World War' aimed at preventing 'future wars by balancing competing interests and fostering 'international cooperation on issues of common interests'.
As major economies of the world are members of the group of 20, its responsibility cannot be overemphasised. But at the same time non-member countries with little economic muscle power must be heard because they are very much affected by the group's decisions and actions. India deserves thanks for giving a voice to the global South by inviting 20 non-member countries of the region to the meeting.
By the time this write-up gets published, the outcome of the G20 FMM will be known. Whether the foreign ministers have prevailed with the diplomatic skill, manoeuvrability and adroitness at their disposal where the finance ministers failed will also be clear.
The reality is that the world and human civilisation are at a crossroads. The G20 meetings in India will be judged by the results they could produce in terms of stemming the deterioration of political, economic, social and the physical environment of the planet. However, it must be admitted that the gatherings of the finance ministers in Bengaluru or of the foreign ministers in New Delhi have captured less media attention and public interests than was expected.
Was the apathy on account of a presumption that nothing will come out of the deliberations because something is missing from the exercise. It is nothing but sincerity of politics at a time of grave crisis. World leaders have failed to take the peoples into confidence and political charlatanism is riding high when there was need for genuine empathy for the low-income and marginal peoples in distress across the world.
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com