Modi pitches global cooperation, disaster resilience, clean energy at COP30
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday underlined the need for stronger global cooperation, disaster resilience and sustainable development as he addressed both sessions of the opening day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg.
According to detailed remarks shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Modi highlighted India’s human-centric approach to growth and urged the G20 to adopt fresh parameters of development that balance progress with planetary well-being.
PM on X said the second session of the Summit focused on building a resilient world in the face of disasters and climate change, ensuring just energy transitions, and strengthening global food systems.
“India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human-centric and inclusive,” he wrote.
He reiterated India’s long-held view that major global challenges require coordinated global solutions.
Modi said this conviction had driven India’s decision to establish the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency.
He added that disaster management must move away from a purely “response-centric” model to a “development-centric” one, citing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as an example of this approach.
PM also proposed the creation of a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership, which would make satellite data and analysis from G20 space agencies more accessible to developing countries, especially in the Global South.
He stressed that improved access to space-based tools would assist nations in agriculture, fisheries, and disaster management.
Mr. Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to sustainability and clean energy, said he had put forward a G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative aimed at promoting recycling, urban mining, second-life batteries and related innovations to secure supply chains and pave cleaner development pathways.
He called climate change one of the most serious threats to food security, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s efforts to shield vulnerable communities through the world’s largest food security and nutrition programme, the world’s biggest health insurance scheme, and a wide-reaching crop insurance framework.
PM emphasized India’s push to popularize Shree Anna (millets) for nutrition and climate resilience.
According to a detailed press note issued by the PMO, the Prime Minister used the opening session — themed “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind” to appreciate the South African presidency’s work in areas including skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI, digital innovation and women’s empowerment. He noted that many of the landmark decisions taken during India’s G20 presidency in New Delhi had been effectively carried forward.
Modi said the moment demanded a rethink of traditional development yardsticks, arguing that growth must not come at the expense of ecological balance.
He urged the grouping to draw upon India’s civilizational idea of Integral Humanism, which he described as a philosophy that harmonizes the interests of individuals, society and nature.
Prime Minister proposed six new initiatives for consideration:
- G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository to preserve and harness humanity’s collective wisdom.
- G20 Africa Skills Multiplier to develop one million certified trainers for skilling African youth and building long-term regional capacities.
- G20 Global Healthcare Response Team, comprising experts from all member nations, that could be deployed for international health emergencies.
- G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to widen access to space-based data for development sectors.
- G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative to bolster innovation in recycling, urban mining and sustainable battery use.
- G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug Terror Nexus to combat trafficking and break the drug-terror economy.
Modi welcomed continuity on India’s Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group and urged richer nations to honor commitments on affordable climate finance and technology transfer to developing countries at the session on “A Resilient World – G20 Contribution to Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transition; Food Systems”,.
He called for a stronger collective push on food security and urged that the Deccan Principles on Food Security, adopted during India’s presidency, be used to craft a G20 roadmap for future action.
Modi stressed the need for a stronger voice for the Global South, seeking a more equitable global governance framework.
He recalled that the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent G20 member during the New Delhi Summit was a historic step and said this spirit of inclusivity must extend beyond the G20 itself.
Mr. Modi thanked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for his warm hospitality and lauded the successful conduct of the Summit. This is the Prime Minister’s 12th participation in a G20 Leaders’ Summit.
