Multilateralism and G20 [UPSC Current Affairs]

Multilateral reform is one of the top presidential priorities for India in G20. The T20 Task Force on ‘Towards Reformed Multilateralism’ (TF7) aims to construct a roadmap for ‘Multilateralism 2.0’. In this context, it is important to understand the multilateralism reforms agenda in the G20 under India’s presidency.  This is an important topic for the IAS exam, especially for the UPSC mains papers.

Multilateral Reforms as a Priority in the G-20

India stated that its agenda would be decisive, action-oriented, ambitious and inclusive, in its G-20 presidency.

• India stated that its primary objective is to build global consensus on delivering global goods, security issues and critical development. So, it placed multilateral reform as one of the top presidential priorities for India. 
• Thus, Think 20 and the G-20 Idea Bank have multilateral reforms as one of their priorities.

Various reasons for difficulty in reforming multilateralism:

• Multilateralism appears at odds with the realities of the emerging multiplex global order. The new world encourages the formation of new coalitions and new clubs of like-minded people and countries and this makes the reform of older institutions and frameworks more challenging.
• The status quo powers see multilateral reforms as a zero-sum game. For example, in the World Bank and the IMF, Europe and the U.S. believe reform would reduce their dominance and influence. This makes decisions about reform in these institutions, by voting or consensus, hard. 
• Multilateralism is deeply entrenched in global power politics. Any action to reform multilateral institutions will need changes in the current distribution of power and it is not that easy. It may have adverse implications if not done cautiously.
• Due to persistent deadlocks, multilateralism has lost the majority’s trust.

Read more on UNSC reforms in the linked article.

Why is multilateralism important?

• Today the world needs multilateral reform and cooperation because:
  • Social and economic progress that the global society made in the past couple of decades has been reversed due to COVID-19.
  • Pressing global issues such as cybersecurity, macroeconomic instability, migration, climate change and conflicts can only be solved collectively. 
  • Most of the challenges nations face today are global in nature and require global solutions. 

What can G-20 and India do?

• To solve the crisis of utility and trust, the G-20 should focus on solving only important pressing global issues and showcase it as the model of new multilateralism. 
  • Fertilizer, Fuel and Food security can be examples because they can trigger recession and stagflation in the whole world.
• To solve the utility, legitimacy and trust crises of multilateralism, the world requires a model, and the G-20 can be one. 
  • For example, to increase its legitimacy, the G20 can include the UN Secretary-General and General Assembly President as permanent invitees and the African Union as a permanent member.
• Problems in today’s world need global cooperation and global solutions. Therefore, while supporting multilateral cooperation, G-20 should continue encouraging minilateral groupings as a new form of multilateralism and try to transform them into multi-stakeholder partnerships. 
• To fix the malaise within multilateralism, G-20 needs to devise multiple solutions. Currently, the multilateralism reform narrative lives only in elite circles.
  • India should also urge the upcoming chairs of the grouping, Brazil and South Africa, to place multilateral reforms as their presidential priorities. 
  • G-20 may constitute an engagement group dedicated to bringing the narrative to the forefront of global discourse. 

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