Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Thursday said they "remain concerned" over the possibility that their overarching priorities with SDGs, climate action and humanitarian action may take a backseat on the global agenda with "growing conflicts and military takeovers" in different parts of the world.
"We count on the Indian G20 leadership to help arrest that possibility and add momentum to international collective action leveraging its global standing and outreach for the benefit of our One Earth and One Humanity," he said.
Speaking at the closing session of an event titled “G20 Summit: Dhaka to New Delhi” at the Foreign Service Academy, the Foreign secretary also emphasised on the importance of including the voice of the youths in shaping their shared future.
A student from the Department of Economics at Dhaka University also spoke at the event.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen spoke as the chief guest at the Inaugural session of the discussion.
Masud Momen said they are confident that the upcoming G20 Summit will help set the tone for critical issues facing the international community as the UN Secretary-General António Guterres leads them to the summit of the future next year.
In Bangladesh, he said, they look forward to sharing their perspectives at the upcoming multilateral forums as they navigate the current uncertain times in the global context with far-reaching ramifications in the national context.
The foreign secretary said they shall continue to raise their voice for resilient and inclusive growth within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through fit-for-purpose reforms of multilateral institutions.
There were three panel discussions on women and development; green development and digital development.
"We need to redouble our efforts in these and other fronts so that we can, not only reach our SDGs by 20230, but actually realise the vision of the Prime Minister’s 2041 aspiration of making a developed Smart Bangladesh," he said.
The foreign secretary said India has indeed made a paradigm shift in its G20 Presidency by bringing the mostly peripheral Global South to the front and centre of its agenda.
"We have witnessed a similar trend at the just concluded BRICS Summit in Johannesburg where the focus was preponderantly on Africa," he said.
These two summit-level meetings on the eve of the upcoming 78th session of the UN General Assembly perhaps signal a fresh move by the Global South to reinvigorate multilateralism in a way that truly reflects their cause, Masud Momen added.
This year, the international community is expected to take stock of progress with Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Climate Agreement and Universal Health Coverage, among other issues, he said.
