New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Israel and Palestine conflict, India is all set to host the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) starting Thursday, October 12. P20 is an engagement group headed by the speakers of the G20 countries, and it aims to bring a parliamentary dimension to global governance.
This is also happening at a time when India and Canada's relations are at their lowest after Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi of having a link in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar Singh. The presiding officers of 25 countries and 10 deputy speakers from the G20 member nations and invitee countries are expected to attend the P20 Summit that will be held at the India International Convention and Expo Centre — Yashobhoomi — at Dwarka, New Delhi, from October 12 to 14. Fifty Parliamentarians will take part in it.
Canada will be represented at the P20 summit by Speaker of the Senate Raymonde Gangne. It is pertinent to note that apart from issues that have been listed for the summit, the diplomatic spat between India and Canada will be discussed at the P20 summit. The key narrative of the P20 meeting is ‘India as the mother of democracy’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) on October 13.
Also read: Amid diplomatic tension, India confirms Canada's participation in P20 Summit
More than 350 delegates are expected to attend the three-day summit that will see the participation of 50 members of Parliament, 14 general secretaries, 26 vice presidents, the International Parliamentary Union president, and the president of the Pan-African Parliament. The theme of the 9th P20 is proposed to be Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future. The Summit will be chaired by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.
Four sessions have been planned for the 9th P20 summit such as transformation in people's lives through public digital platforms women-led development, accelerating SDGs, and Sustainable Energy Transition. A pre-summit event — the Parliamentary Forum on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), will be held on October 12 at Yashobhoomi. An exhibition titled 'Mother of Democracy' will also be organized to highlight India's ancient and participative democratic traditions.
The P20 delegates will also be taken on a tour of the new Parliament House, followed by a cultural evening and dinner hosted by the speaker. The Parliamentary track in the G20 started in 2010 in Ottawa, Canada as a Consultative meeting of the speakers of select G20 countries. It may be noted that P20 has not taken place under every G20 Presidency.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had attended three previous meetings- the 6th in Tokyo in November 2019, the 7th in Rome in October 2021, and 8th in Jakarta on 6-7 Oct 2022.
