Biden to focus on climate, multilateral development banks at India G20 summit: White House

THE key focus areas for US president Joe Biden at the upcoming G20 summit include delivering for developing nations, making progress on key issues like climate, technology and reshaping the multilateral development banks, the White House has said, expressing hope that the bloc will be able to make headway on those topics under prime minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

On Thursday (7), Biden will travel to New Delhi to attend the G20 leaders' summit.

On Friday (8), he will participate in a bilateral meeting with Modi and over the weekend, the president will participate in the official sessions of the summit.

As Biden heads to the G20, he is committed to working with emerging market partners to deliver big things together, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing on Tuesday (5).

"That's what we believe the world will see in New Delhi this weekend," he said.

America's commitment to the G20 has not wavered, and it hopes the G20 Summit in New Delhi will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times, Sullivan said.

"So, as we head into New Delhi, our focus is going to be on delivering for developing countries; making progress on key priorities for the American people, from climate to technology; and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can actually, as I said before, deliver," he said.

"And thanks to the leadership of prime minister Modi and India's presidency, we hope we'll be able to do all of those things," Sullivan said.

On what the US is bringing to the table at the summit, Sullivan said one of America's main focuses heading into the G20 is delivering on an agenda of fundamentally reshaping and scaling up the multilateral development banks, especially the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

"We know that these institutions are some of the most effective tools that we have for mobilising transparent, high-quality investment into developing countries. And that's why the United States has championed the major effort that is currently underway to evolve these institutions so that they are up to the challenges of today and tomorrow," he said.

Last month, Biden asked the US Congress for additional funds that would have the impact of increasing World Bank financing by more than $25 billion.

"And we're working to make sure other partners follow our lead," he said.

"And at the G20, we have been leading an effort that we hope will see the G20 endorse this level of ambition and deliver a broader vision of multilateral development banks that are better, bigger, and more effective," he said.

Biden will also be calling on G20 members as leaders in the global economy to provide meaningful debt relief so that low- and middle-income countries can regain their footing after years of extreme stress, Sullivan said.

"He'll be clear that the United States expects real progress on ongoing cases by the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech (Morocco) next month. And he will be clear that we need all G20 members to be constructive and at the table with no exceptions," he said.

The bloc also be making progress on other key priorities from climate, to health, to digital technology, including commitments to a more inclusive digital transformation and a responsible path and approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) development, he said.

"In addition, we'll spotlight the progress that we've been making on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment — or what we call “PGI.” We'll have some announcements that we're excited about," Sullivan said. The US also looking forward to warmly welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 — the newest permanent member. "We believe that the African Union's voice will make the G20 stronger," he said.

Biden will be travelling to Vietnam after concluding his India trip. On the question of whether the US is taking any actions to ensure the safety of journalists travelling with Biden in the light of human rights reports on restrictions on freedom of expression in these nations, Sullivan said, the ability of the American press travelling with Biden to be able to go to the G20 and cover the G20 in an unencumbered way is something that has been a serious priority for this White House.

(With PTI inputs)