Johannesburg: In a powerful address at the opening session of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged world leaders to rethink the foundations of global development, emphasising the need for growth models that are inclusive, sustainable and anchored in civilisational values. With Africa hosting the summit for the first time, the Prime Minister said the moment demanded a “course correction” in how the world imagines progress, particularly for regions long burdened by resource scarcity and ecological stress.
Speaking during the session titled ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth: Leaving No One Behind’, PM Modi said India’s philosophy of Integral Humanism offers a guiding framework for development that balances economic needs with social and ecological well-being.
Global Repository for Traditional Knowledge
PM Modi began by calling for urgent global attention to traditional systems of sustainable living. He proposed a G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository—a platform to document, protect and exchange eco-friendly and culturally rooted practices.
He said India’s Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) platform could serve as the base for this global repository, noting that communities worldwide possess time-tested practices related to health, environment, lifestyle and social harmony. Preserving these, he said, is essential as the world faces climate strain and rapid social transitions.
G20 Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative
Putting a sharp focus on Africa’s youth, the Prime Minister announced an expansive skilling proposal — the G20 Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative. Built on a train-the-trainer architecture, the programme aims to create one million certified trainers on the African continent over the next decade.
These trainers, he emphasised, would then help skill millions more, creating employment-ready talent pipelines across diverse sectors. The initiative builds on India’s long-standing partnership with Africa and echoes the milestone India achieved last year when the African Union was inducted as a permanent G20 member during India’s presidency.
Countering the Global Drug-Terror Nexus
Raising alarm about the worldwide surge in extremely potent synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, PM Modi warned that the crisis threatens public health, social order and national security. He urged the G20 to launch a dedicated Initiative on Countering the Drug Terror Nexus.
This mechanism, he said, would focus on:
- dismantling international drug trafficking networks,
- choking illicit financial flows, and
- weakening a major revenue source for global terror groups.
He stressed that drug-linked terrorism is not a regional issue but a global threat requiring unified G20 action.
