During the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday. The Crown Council and other senior officials from India’s Ministry of External Affairs were also in attendance.
The discussion wasn’t just a recap of the current state of relations between the two countries; it was an opening for fresh collaboration on topics such as security, cultural exchange and other bilateral initiatives. President Ramaphosa had already welcomed Modi on Saturday when he arrived for the G20 meetings at Nasrec.
At the summit’s opening sessions, Modi stressed the importance of deeper global cooperation, stronger disaster resilience and sustainable development. Through a series of posts on X, and in a detailed briefing shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, he outlined India’s “human‑centric” approach to growth and urged the G20 to adopt new development metrics that balance economic progress with environmental stewardship.
In his X commentary, Modi noted that the second session focused on building a resilient world amid disasters and climate change, ensuring just energy transitions, and reinforcing global food systems. “India has been actively working on all these fronts, building a future that is human‑centric and inclusive,” he said.
He reminded the group that tackling major global challenges requires coordinated solutions, a belief that had led India to launch the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency. Modi argued that disaster management should evolve from a “response‑centric” model to a “development‑centric” one, pointing to the Coalition for Disaster‑Resilient Infrastructure as a model.
Modi also proposed a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to give developing nations—especially those in the Global South—to benefit from satellite data and analysis for agriculture, fisheries and disaster management. He stressed that better access to space‑based tools would help countries manage natural resources and respond to emergencies.
Reaffirming India’s commitment to sustainability and clean energy, the Prime Minister announced the G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, aimed at promoting recycling, urban mining, second‑life batteries and related innovations to secure supply chains and enable cleaner development pathways.
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