G20’s Second Infrastructure Working Group Meeting
The Day 1 of the second G20 Infrastructure Working Group meeting under the G20 India Presidency concluded on 28th March 2023 in Vishakhapatnam. The meeting was attended by 57 delegates from 14 member countries, 8 guest countries and 10 international organisations. The G20 IWG meetings are aimed at furthering the discussions on the 2023 Infrastructure Agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency.
On Day 1 of the IWG meeting, discussions focused on the flagship priority, “Financing Cities of Tomorrow: Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable”, along with other priorities outlined in the 2023 Infrastructure Agenda.
The flagship theme of “Financing Cities of Tomorrow- Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable” discussed various facets of making cities economic centres of growth, financing urban infrastructure, building future-ready urban infrastructure etc. The meeting also discussed other important themes, such as innovative financing models to scale up private sector investment to address the infrastructure financing gap for creating future cities and discussing the potential application of the Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) indicators across the infrastructure projects.
On the sidelines, the meeting was also complemented by a Roundtable of International Organizations to discuss infrastructure taxonomies. Over 13 international experts discussed the role of infrastructure definitions and taxonomies in making better data-driven decisions. The side event witnessed the participation of experts from key International Organizations such as UNDP, OECD, IMF, ADB and EBRD. Representatives from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexico and the Office for National Statistics, United Kingdom, presented case studies on improving national infrastructure spending.
In the evening, the delegates were also hosted for “Ratri Bhoj Par Samvad’ (Conversation over Dinner) to provide an opportunity to enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh and relish the local cuisines.
Overall, the delegates had productive meetings and enjoyed the cultural experiences that Visakhapatnam had to offer.
On Day 2, The Presidency has also planned a ‘health retreat’ for the delegates on the beachfront. During the retreat, the delegates will be introduced to yoga, meditation and sattvic food. Thereafter, the IWG will continue discussing the rest of the agenda, and the official IWG meeting will conclude.
