A hope for multilateralism

G20 was a good start. There must be more global coordination

Governments are belatedly starting to show unity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Group of Twenty (G20) leaders’ virtual summit produced the outline of an international response to the coronavirus disease. The joint communique called for expanding the mandate of the World Health Organization (WHO), coordinating work on vaccines and medical supplies, and agreeing on a global economic stimulus of $5 trillion.

Until now, a coherent multilateral response to the pandemic was missing. Most governments have been isolating rather than coordinating. Regional groups like the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations notably did not rise to the occasion. Even the WHO has been accused of modifying announcements at the behest of individual governments. The past few weeks of open hostility between the two superpowers, the United States (US) and China, has not helped matters. Geopolitics infected the recently held Group of Seven summit to the point it was unable to issue a joint statement. The United Nations Security Council has struggled to meet because of opposition by Beijing and Moscow. Under the circumstances, it is reassuring that the G20 leaders’ virtual summit was completely without friction, and no government felt the need to score points. The G20 announcements provided a sense of common purpose but stopped there. Few concrete numbers and virtually no national-level commitments came out of the meeting. But that all these governments have agreed to provide funding and legitimacy to specified programmes, most notably a number of the coronavirus-targeted vaccine programmes, is a major accomplishment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should recognise that he is in a unique position to help convert these intentions into reality. India was among the few countries invited to both the earlier virtual coronavirus conferences held by China and the US, reflecting New Delhi’s investments in relations with both governments. He has good standing with a number of world leaders. More meetings at the ministerial-level have been called for by the G20 — and many more rounds of negotiations will follow over the coming months. New Delhi should make sure it is involved in creating the multilateral bonding that is still needed, for the benefit of the world and the nation.