New Delhi: In a major decision, the G20 Leaders have adopted the Rome declaration at the Summit after extensive negotiations.
"This communique gives a very strong message under the health section where we have agreed that COVID-19 immunisation is a global public good and the recognition of COVID-19 vaccines, which are deemed to be safe and efficacious by the WHO will be mutually accepted subject of course to national law and privacy law," Sherpa for India, Piyush Goyal told reporters in Rome.
He said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of sustainable lifestyles finds resonance in the Rome declaration, and sustainable consumption and responsible production patterns."
PM Modi wrapped up his Italy visit, marked by G20 engagements, a series of important bilateral meetings with leaders from Germany, Indonesia, Spain and France and a one-on-one meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican City.
"Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful G20 Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Mr Modi will attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference at Glasgow, also known as COP26.
Mr Goyal said: "For the first time, the G20 has identified sustainable and responsible consumption and production, along with provision of finance and technology, as critical enablers for achieving the climate goals, first decided at Paris, and as we have all agreed we must aspire for even more ambition."
Goyal, India's Commerce Minister, said: "Travel needs to get reinvigorated, we need to get back people's movement, bring tourism back, bring economic activity back. And we have all agreed to work towards a common framework for accepting each other's vaccine certificates."
He said, "We have also discussed gender based violence and increasing women's participation in the workforce. Also denounced the uneven distribution of unpaid care and domestic work. So in some sense, a lot of the agenda that India was pushing for, lot of the agenda of the developing countries in which India took a leadership role, have been representing them in the G20 for several years has been brought into the text."
To a question on India pushing for a commitment from the G20 on improving livelihoods of small and marginal farmers, Mr Goyal said: "A communique like this does not get into the details of each of the subjects in that much micro detail. But the commitment that they have recognised the importance of protecting livelihoods of small and marginal farmers is a very big achievement."
"We remain vigilant to the global challenges that are impacting our economies, such as disruptions in supply chains. We will work together to monitor and address these issues as our economies recover and to support the stability of the global economy," the G20 Rome Declaration said.
