Johannesburg, July 25
Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, met with Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, France’s Minister of International Partnerships, on the sidelines of the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting (DMM) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Both leaders discussed the 4Ps (Planet, People, Peace and Prosperity), pursuing the shared interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) restructuring of the global financial architecture and enhancing disaster resilience.
“It was a pleasure to meet Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, Minister of International Partnerships of France on the margins of G20 Development Minister’s Meeting. Discussions were held on 4P and continuing our common interest in AI, reform of international financial architecture, and disaster resilience,†Margherita posted on X.
He is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the South African Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Lydia Ramokgopa, along with other Ministers responsible for development and heads of delegations from other G20 Members, invited countries, and International Organisations participating in the DMM.
The MoS arrived at Kruger National Park in South Africa's Mpumalanga on Thursday to attend the G20 DMM after concluding his successful visit to Lesotho and Eswatini.
Margherita stated that he is looking forward to "meaningful engagements" with stakeholders from G20 members and invited nations to discuss key development issues faced by the world.
The G20 Development Working Group Ministerial Meeting is being held at Kruger National Park.
South Africa holds the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2024, to November 30, 2025.
The theme for South Africa’s G20 Presidency is 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.'
Upon his arrival in South Africa, Margherita posted on X, “Arrived at Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa, to attend G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting under the South African G20 Presidency. Looking forward to meaningful engagements with stakeholders from G20 members and invited countries to discuss key development issues facing the world.â€
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an expat in India, I'm impressed by how the country is positioning itself as a thought leader in AI governance. The France-India partnership could be game-changing for ethical tech development!
While these high-level meetings are important, I hope our ministers also focus on local implementation. We need disaster resilience programs that actually reach villages, not just conference room discussions.
Kruger National Park as the meeting venue? Interesting choice! Maybe they'll spot the Big Five between sessions 😄 On serious note, glad India is pushing for financial architecture reforms - the current system favors developed nations too much.
The 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability' theme resonates strongly with India's development goals. Hope our representatives can share our successful models like digital public infrastructure with other nations.
Good to see focus on AI, but wish there was more transparency about what exactly is being discussed. These closed-door meetings often leave citizens in the dark about policies that will eventually affect us all.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.