MACN Engages in the B20 Process During India’s G20 Presidency
Below is a summary of where the MACN Secretariat together with the MACN India team reflects on the B20 Indian Chairmanship:
Why is B20 relevant for India now?
The B20, under India’s G20 Presidency, is significant for India contextual to the fact that India is currently the fastest growing economy in the world, currently, apart from being the fifth largest global economy, presently. In this light, the theme of the Indian B20 ‘RAISE’ (Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable, and Equitable Business) is in sync with the above national objectives of the country.
The contemporary timing of India’s B20 is crucial from the perspective of India’s celebration of the 75th year of its independence (christened as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’), presently. India is seeking to become a self-reliant (through its policy of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’) and fully developed nation by 2047 (coinciding with 100 years of its independence).
How does MACN fit into the B20 work this year?
MACN Secretariat has been a member of the B20 Action Council on Ethics and Integrity for a few years. This year, the task was shared with MACN team India who been an active participant on a national level. MACN – India also attended the B20 Summit Meeting held in New Delhi on 25-27 August 2023. MACN submitted a formal paper to this Action Council proposing it to consider incorporating anti-corruption measures in its recommendations for a robust, resilient, and sustainable supply chain network. This recommendation has been accepted and suitably incorporated in the final recommendations of the India B20 at the India B20 Summit Meeting to the Summit Meeting held under India’s G20 Presidency at New Delhi on 9-10th September 2023.
One of the key recommendations forthcomings in the India G20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration of 9th September 2023 is the importance highlighted for anti-corruption measures in public agencies, inter-alia. This is pertinent in the context of work that MACN-India does in engagement with public agencies, nationally, as a bridge of trust between the latter and the maritime industry in matters of anti-corruption in the maritime space.
In the Policy Paper of the Indian B20 Action Council on ESG in Business, there is an interesting recommendation, where there is a potential for MACN-India to be associated with, basis the empirical cases and data handled by it. Contextual to a KPI to track implementation of Recommendation 3 (on supply chain networks) in this policy paper, there is a clear suggestion to the effect that “B20 should work with the G20 governments to set up a group of industry experts and policymakers to identify opportunities for digital interventions, especially for G2B services and compliances”.
