New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called upon the Parliamentarians of G20 countries to work together in this fight against terrorism and said a divided world cannot provide solutions to the major challenges facing humanity.
Speaking at an event to inaugurate the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) at the Yashobhoomi convention centre in Delhi, the Prime Minister said, “India has been facing cross-border terrorism for many years now.”
Recalling the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament, he said, ” around 20 years ago, terrorists targeted our Parliament at the time when the session was underway”.
“The world is also realising how big a challenge terrorism is for the globe and that it is against humanity. Parliaments in the world and their representatives have to think on how to work together in this fight against terrorism”.
Modi also stressed for peace and moving forward together and said, “It is the time for everyone’s development.”
In reference to terrorism and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the PM said, “A world full of conflicts and confrontations cannot benefit anyone”.
“A divided world cannot give solutions to the challenges before us. This is a time for peace and brotherhood, a time to move together, a time to move forward together,” he added.
The Prime Minister also drew attention to the global aspect where no consensus regarding the definition of terrorism is achieved. He underlined how the International Convention on Combating Terrorism is waiting for a consensus in the United Nations even today.
Modi stressed that the enemies of humanity are taking advantage of this attitude of the world as he urged the Parliaments and representatives around the world to come up with ways of working together in this fight against terrorism.
The Prime Minister said that a world full of conflict and confrontation is in no one’s interest. “This is a time for growth and well-being of all. We have to overcome the global trust crisis and move forward with human-centric thinking. We have to look at the world in the spirit of One Earth, One Family, One Future.” he added.
Speaking about parliamentary practices, Modi said, “India has decided to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.”
He added that there are about 32 lakh elected representatives in local self-governance institutions in India. Out of these, about 50 per cent are female representatives”.
Speaking about the general elections, the Prime Minister said in India, General elections are considered the biggest festival, and since independence, India has seen 17 Lok Sabha elections and more than 300 state assembly elections”.
“India conducts not only the biggest election, but the participation of people has been continuously increasing,” he added.
Modi said, “The 2019 Lok Sabha election in India was the largest election exercise in human history; more than 600 million voters took part in this exercise”.
“The use of EVMs has boosted transparency and efficiency in the election process, as results are now declared within hours of the counting of votes,” the PM said.
India hosted the two-day summit under the broader framework of India’s G20 presidency.
In line with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency, the theme of the P20Summit is Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, and One Future.
During this two-day global event, 25 speakers, 10 Deputy Speakers, along with 50 members of Parliament, among others, are going to participate.
The Pan African Parliament will also participate in the G20 event for the first time in India.
The Ninth P20 reflects a glorious journey of collective vision of Presiding Officers of Parliaments of G20 nations, which took root in 2010 in a consultative meeting.
During the summit, four high-level sessions will be organised, which are accelerating Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Energy Transition, women-led development, and transformation in people’s lives through public digital platforms.
