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Multilateral Cooperation

To safeguard India's interests and advocate for the nation's digital transformation journey on the international stage, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been engaging with several multilateral fora. Multilateral Cooperation activities encompass deliberations, negotiations and coordination of technical and policy issues with key international bodies and institutions such as the G20, G7, BRICS, SCO, WTO, UN-ESCAP/APCICT, BIMSTEC, World Bank, ADB, Commonwealth, IPU, ITU, ASEAN, SAARC, OECD, IPEF, QUAD, WEF and others in the IT/ Software and Electronics Sectors.

G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG)

  • G20 members include the G8 countries, namely, USA, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada and Russia; and the 11 emerging and developing countries, namely, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Africa and Turkey, European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). G20 members accounts for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet.
  • MeitY, as the nodal ministry for the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meetings, had actively participated in various DETF/DEWG and ministerial meetings and workshops during the previous Presidencies since 2016 under China, Germany (2017), Argentina (2018), Japan (2019), Saudi Arabia (2020), Italy (2021), and Indonesia (2022). ICD, MeitY had presented India's stance in various working group and ministerial meetings, negotiated various issues of Digital Economy, and showcased India's strength in the field of IT sector.
  • Furthermore, India had assumed the Presidency of G20 for the period of one year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023. MeitY. As the nodal ministry for DEWG, hosted DEWG and the Digital Economy Ministers' Meeting (DEMM) during India's Presidency.
  • As part of India’s G20 Presidency, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) led the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), which had identified three priority areas, namely Digital Public Infrastructure, Security in the Digital Economy, and Digital Skilling. Multilateral under ICD prepared multiple deliverables pertaining to these priority areas such as Concept Notes, Agenda, Toolkits, Outcome Documents and likewise. Over the eight months of extensive discussions among G20 members, guest countries, and International Organizations on the various aspects of the priority areas and key deliverables.
  • The first, second, and third meetings of the DEWG were organized at Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Pune in February 2023, April 2023, and June 2023, respectively. The Fourth DEWG (August 16-17) and Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting (August 18) was held in August, 2023 at Bengaluru. The Ministerial Meeting was a culmination of the four DEWG Meetings.
  • Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the ministers and delegates and underlined that India’s digital transformation is powered by its unshakeable belief in innovation and its commitment to speedy implementation while also being motivated by the spirit of inclusion where no one is left behind. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon'ble Minister of Railways; Communications; and Electronics and Information Technology chaired the Ministerial Meeting and shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘democratising technology’, emphasised global collaboration for DPI, digital economy, and digital skilling.
  • The New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit held on 9-10 September 2023 brought the deliberations under our G20 Presidency to a successful culmination. With G20 including all P5 countries, and accounting for 85% of global GDP, 75% of world trade and 2/3rd of world population, it was the highest profile international gathering in the history of independent India. The substantive centrepiece of the G20 Summit was the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD)[PDF]0 bytes, adopted unanimously by all G20 countries on the first day of the Summit. An action-oriented, decisive, inclusive and ambitious Declaration, it sets out the way forward on a wide range of prevailing global challenges. It is a historic milestone in India’s journey to assume its rightful place in the comity of nations.
  • Towards delivering these outcomes, the MeitY has developed the GDPIR, which is a comprehensive resource hub, pooling essential lessons and expertise from G20 members and guest nations. Its primary aim is to bridge the knowledge gap in the choices and methodologies required for the design, construction, deployment, and governance of DPIs. The GDPIR showcases the information in a standardized format from countries and organizations that have developed DPIs at scale, incorporating elements such as maturity scales, source codes (where available), and governance frameworks. Currently, the GDPIR features 54 DPIs from 16 countries, and it can be accessed at https://www.dpi.global.
  • Furthermore, during the virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit on the 22nd of November 2023, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also announced the creation of a Social Impact Fund (SIF), to which India has pledged an initial commitment of 25 million USD. The SIF is envisioned as a government led, multistakeholder initiative to fast-track DPI implementation in the global south. This fund will offer financial support to provide upstream technical and non-technical assistance to countries in developing DPI systems. The SIF offers a platform for all relevant stakeholders, including other governments, international organizations, and philanthropic entities, to contribute to this fund and help accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) through DPIs.

Key Achievements of Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG)

After deliberations, the G20 Digital Economy Ministers adopted the ambitious & forward-looking Outcome Document and Chair’s Summary[PDF]0 bytes which reiterates the priorities of the Working Group and strengthens commitments on the following deliverables:

Other Highlights:

  • Launch of two DPI Knowledge Products: Accelerating the SDGs through DPI[PDF]0 bytes and The DPI Playbook[PDF]0 bytes
  • Participation of 1000+ people in the side events
  • 3 MoUs signed between India & 3 other countries (Armenia, Sierra Leone, and Suriname)
  • Over 100 bilateral meetings during the Fourth Meeting of Digital Economy Working Group and Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting, Bengaluru
  • Participation of 200 + delegates in DEWG and DEMM
  • G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (DIA) Summit on August 17-19, 2023:                 
    • Platform to bring together the digital innovation and start-up ecosystem
    • 6 Themes: AgriTech, Circular Economy, EdTech, FinTech, and HealthTech
    • Over 5000 registrations for the Summit
    • 119 Start-ups from 23 countries 6 Winners under each theme
  • Digital India Mobile Van - Experiencing Digital Transformation
    • An "Ask AI" exhibit for visitors’ interactions
    • An interactive table showcased various Indian government initiatives on AI
    • A Virtual Reality (VR) tour of Lucknow in a 360-degree digital representation of the city
    • "Ask Gita" an interactive AI installation for interaction with the Bhagavad Gita

 

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

  • India assumed the Presidency of SCO for the first time after becoming a full Member State in 2017. The Presidency was transferred to India from Uzbekistan following the SCO Samarkand Summit on September 17, 2022. India's presidency within the SCO extended to the culmination of the SCO Heads of State Summit, which took place in virtually in July.
  • In 2022-23, under India's SCO chairmanship, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), serving as the Nodal Ministry for the Special Working Group (SWG) on Modern Information & Telecommunication Technologies (MITT), played a pivotal role.
  • Prime Minister Modi articulated India's focal points for the SCO Chair under the theme "Towards a SECURE SCO." The acronym SECURE was first introduced by the Prime Minister during the 2018 Qingdao Summit of the SCO, and it served as the cornerstone for our ongoing chairmanship. SECURE encapsulated the areas of emphasis, which included Security, Economic development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection.
  • MeitY convened two (2) meeting of the SCO Expert Working Group (February 28, 2023 and May 8, 2023). Subsequently, the Concept of DPI was approved by the representatives of the SCO member states during the “Session of Heads of Ministries and Agencies of the SCO Member States Responsible for Information and Communication Technologies” held on 13th May 2023.
  • Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon'ble Minister of Railways; Communications; and Electronics and Information Technology chaired the Ministerial Meeting which was held virtually. Hon’ble Minister emphasised on "India stack" being interoperable and resulting in higher digital inclusion among SCO members. He encouraged fellow SCO members to assess, evaluate, and adopt India Stack to benefit from its digital public infrastructure. Also, he emphasized the importance of this DPI in ensuring completion, democratizing technology, and promoting digitally inclusive growth among member states.
  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) actively engaged with various countries within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to not only demonstrate India's potential in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector but also to safeguard its interests and explore fresh business opportunities for the Indian IT, Software, and Electronics industry. This engagement was in line with India's commitment to contributing to and benefiting from the collaborative landscape within the SCO.

 

BRICS

  • Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) is the nodal ministry for the ICT related issues on the BRICS forum through Working Group on ICT & HPC (led by DST) and Working Group on ICT Cooperation (led by DoT). However, MeitY does not have any direct engagement under the forum. MeitY has participated in the Working Group on ICT & HPC in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and shared India’s prowess in the field of digitalization for digital inclusion and social empowerment.
  • The 8th Meeting of BRICS Communications Ministers was conducted in a virtual format, with China presiding over the proceedings. India, represented by Minister Sh. Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted its ICT achievements and government-initiated telecom sector reforms during the meeting. The ministers agreed to focus on ICTs in line with the priorities identified at the 14th BRICS Summit in June 2022. They approved work-plans for the BRICS Institute for Future Networks and the Digital BRICS Task Force, aiming to foster greater innovation and cooperation among BRICS member countries.

 

United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology (APCICT)

  • APCICT is a subsidiary body of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and came into existence in June 2006 at Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Centre mission is to strengthen the efforts of the member countries of ESCAP to use ICT in their socio-economic development through human and institutional capacity building. To meet this objective, APCICT work is focused on three inter-related pillars. The centre is aimed at creating ICT-ready environment through capacity-building trainings and workshops. Its main areas are ICT applications and development; ICT for development policy, process and governance and e-Government applications.
  • India has been member of the Governing Council (GC) of APCICT since its inception and attending the GC meetings and attending the training programs/workshops/etc organized by APCICT. Towards cooperation with APCICT, the Ministry intends to extend its expertise towards development of multi-purpose community e-centers, enhancing Pacific connectivity for improved ICT access, furthering initiatives in HRD and capacity building, etc.