Integral Humanism and a new development compass
In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister urged leaders to consider “Integral Humanism” — a holistic approach rooted in India’s civilisational thought — as a framework for harmonising economic growth with social welfare and environmental balance. He said this was especially relevant with the G20 meeting on African soil for the first time, urging world leaders to address imbalances and over-exploitation of nature.
Six concrete proposals
Mr. Modi laid out six interlinked ideas for collective action at the G20 level:
- G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository: A digital archive to preserve and share time-tested traditional practices for agriculture, health and sustainability.
- G20 Africa Skills Multiplier: A decade-long “train-the-trainer” scheme to certify one million trainers across Africa to boost local skilling and employment.
- G20 Global Healthcare Response Team: A roster of health experts from member countries to be deployed for rapid response to health emergencies worldwide.
- G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership: A plan to make satellite data from G20 space agencies more accessible to developing countries for agriculture, fisheries and disaster management.
- G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative: A programme promoting recycling, urban mining and second-life battery projects to secure supply chains and advance cleaner technologies.
- G20 Initiative on Countering the Drug-Terror Nexus: Coordinated action to disrupt drug trafficking networks that finance terrorism.
Resilience, food security and climate finance
The Prime Minister also addressed disaster risk reduction, climate action and food systems in a second session. He argued for a “development-centric” approach to disaster resilience and urged richer nations to fulfil climate finance and technology transfer commitments to support developing countries. Modi highlighted the role of millets and the Deccan Principles, adopted during India’s G20 presidency, as building blocks for a food-security roadmap at the G20 level.
Global South and governance
Reiterating calls for greater representation of the Global South in global governance, Mr. Modi noted the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent participant at the previous New Delhi Summit and urged that the inclusive spirit be extended beyond the G20 platform. He emphasised that development must be sustainable, just and inclusive to meet the aspirations of younger generations worldwide.
Context and reactions
The Prime Minister’s proposals were highlighted in India’s official release and carried widely by international media. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Press Information Bureau posted summaries of his addresses and proposals. Observers say the initiatives seek to leverage India’s soft-power strengths — from traditional knowledge to vaccine diplomacy — while pushing for structural changes in global cooperative mechanisms.
For the official statement and full text of Mr. Modi’s remarks, see the Press Information Bureau summary and the Ministry of External Affairs release.
