Prime Minister Narendra Modi today proposed India's civilizational value of Integral Humanism to rethink the parameters of development in the world, with large sections of people being deprived of resources, with Africa a major sufferer – obliquely targeting Europe.

In his address at the G20 session on ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind: Building our economies; the role of trade; financing for development and the debt burden’, the PM said the “Historic initiatives taken at the New Delhi G20 Summit have been furthered” at the Johannesburg summit.

The PM said that while the G20 has shaped global finance and global economic growth over the past decades, the parameters of growth have left a large population deprived of resources.

“They have encouraged the over-exploitation of nature. Africa is a major sufferer of this,”, he said targeting the West, notably European nations, for overexploiting the precious natural resources of Africa, and leaving the countries there steeped in poverty in return.

“Today, as Africa hosts the G20 Summit for the first time, we must rethink the parameters of development. One path lies in India's civilizational values. That path is Integral Humanism. This means we must view humans, society, and nature as an integrated whole. Only then will harmony between progress and nature be possible.

He proposed that India will set up a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository within the G20, with the Indian Knowledge Systems initiative serving as its foundation. “This global platform will help transmit humanity's collective wisdom to future generations.”

Laying special focus on Africa, where the G20 is being held for the first time, the PM said Africa's development and empowering Africa's young talent are in the interest of the entire world.

He proposed the setting up of G20-Africa Skills Multiplier initiative, to be supported and financed by G20 partners. “Our collective goal is to train one million certified trainers in Africa over the next decade. These trainers will, in turn, train millions of skilled youth. This initiative will have a multiplier effect. It will build local capacity and strengthen Africa's long-term development,” the PM said.

For dealing with health emergencies and natural disasters, India proposed the formation of a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, consisting of trained medical experts from G20 countries. This team should be ready for rapid deployment in case of any global health crisis or natural disaster, the PM said.

On drug trafficking, especially of fentanyl, an issue that is close to the Trump administration’s concerns, the PM proposed the setting up of the G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus. “Under this initiative, we can bring together various instruments related to finance, governance, and security. Only then can the drug-terror economy be weakened,” he said.

Reminiscing about the 2023 New Delhi, summit when the African union was included in the G20, the PM said: “India-Africa solidarity has always been strong. The African Union's permanent membership of this group during the New Delhi Summit was a major initiative. Now it is essential that this spirit expands beyond the G20. We must work together to ensure that the voice of the Global South is amplified in all global institutions.”