Keeping in mind the priorities of businesses globally and being cognizant of the global business landscape, B20 India has identified the most pressing issues concerning businesses globally. Based on these identified industry priorities, seven task forces were created for India’s Presidency in the areas of Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment; Future of Work, Skilling, and Mobility; Digital Transformation; Financing for Global Economic Recovery; Energy, Climate Change & Resource Efficiency; Tech, Innovation and R&D and Financial Inclusion for Economic Empowerment. To focus and deliberate on the larger structural agenda, B20 India worked through two Action Councils on ESG in Business on African Economic Integration. This session will have presentations on the key recommendations that have emerged from the deliberations within the B20 India Task Forces and Action Councils.

Aligning global priorities on pressing global challenges is critical for ensuring inclusive growth and promoting sustainable development. India’s G20 presidency theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ too resonates with the underlying ethos of ensuring alignment on the global priorities. For effective alignment, nations, organizations, and individuals must work together towards common goals and shared values by engaging in open dialogue and building trust. This session would aim to highlight the necessity of achieving progress on the key identified issues for fortifying sustainable and equitable future for all.

With three-fourths of humanity living in the Global South, it has the largest stakes in the future and must also have an equivalent voice in the Emerging World 2.0. It is imperative that developed economies respond to the priorities of the Global South by framing an inclusive and balanced international agenda. It should also be recognised that the principle of ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’ applies to all global challenges. This session will witness deliberations around the way forward for ensuring a greater role for the Global South as the eight-decade old model of global governance slowly changes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest technological breakthroughs of the 21st century and touches upon almost every sector of the Indian economy. The rise in digitalization and globalization has opened new avenues for AI to reshape economies in a transformational and innovative way. Technology is altering the world and is impacting society, economies and governance as never before. Hence, countries and businesses are fast waking up to utilize the potential of AI which is finding an application in diverse sectors such as retail, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, IT and e-commerce, agriculture, waste management, etc. However, AI's proliferation also warrants thoughtful regulations to address ethical concerns, data privacy, and algorithmic biases. This session will discuss and deliberate on how to reap the opportunities and address the challenges that AI has brought for Business, Talent, Societies and Environment.

The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and other geopolitical developments have escalated disruptions to global trade and international supply chains, intensifying production and efficiency losses. Investments and trade patterns would both need to shift to ensure minimal disruptions, while encompassing emerging economies and vulnerable sections of society in the trade endeavour. Trade facilitation through concerted country strategies and technology use to facilitate integration into the global supply chain is a necessity as well. This session would aim at setting a vision for strengthening and diversifying value chains for more inclusive and sustainable global trade and investment.

Currently home to over 1.3 billion people, Africa’s population is poised to nearly double by 2050. This demographic growth translates into an expanding consumer base and a growing young workforce, presenting vast market opportunities for goods and services. By recognizing Africa's economic potential, fostering trade and investment, investing in human capital and innovation, and promoting larger sustainable development, the international community can forge partnerships that benefit not only Africa but the global community as a whole. The aim of this session is to deliberate on the significance and role of international cooperation, led by businesses, in creating an enabling environment for growth and development in the African continent. Africa can be part of the G20 grouping for its effective economic integration.

Building financial resilience today has become imperative for Governments around the world, as the changing global economic environment has heightened the risks to economic recovery. Strengthening financial protection strategies and financial instruments is critical for insulating the world from future economic shocks and disasters of similar magnitude. This session’s deliberations would be centered around addressing these issues, including strengthening innovative finance for a stable economic recovery.

Rapid advancements in technologies like AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning have expanded the cyber threat landscape like never before. With malicious threat actors getting increasingly sophisticated and innovative, the traditional approach of relying only on perimeter defence mechanisms no longer suffices to protect sensitive data. To fortify our digital world against these ever-evolving threats, our risk mitigation approach should be a multi-faceted one, combining advanced cryptographic solutions, continuous awareness and education, and global collaborative efforts. This session’s deliberations would be centered around addressing these issues, including building a safer digital ecosystem to ensure a secure and sustainable global cyber landscape for generations to come.

Deepening global trade and investment ties has been spelt out as one of the important agenda items under India’s G20 presidency. The three meetings of the Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) which took place this year have advocated equitable distribution of the benefits of global trade by and among all countries, including developing and least developed countries (LDCs). This will help to move towards a new world order that is propelled by collaboration, sustainable growth, and solutions-oriented mindset. This session will witness focused discussions involving the Trade Ministers of G20 and other invitee countries on these pertinent issues.