Jammu and Kashmir is set to host the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders’ summit in 2023 as India will assume the presidency of the group from Indonesia later this year. A five-person high-level committee for its overall coordination was formed by the Union Territory government on Thursday, 23 June.

The summit will be the first international event in Jammu and Kashmir since the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution was withdrawn and it was carved into two union territories in August 2019.

The committee was established in response to a notification from the Ministry of External Affairs on 4 June. The Union Territory's housing and urban development department's chief secretary will preside over it, as per an official directive issued on Thursday.

In September last year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20. The Ministry of External Affairs had said that India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G20 leaders’ summit in 2023 for the first time.

"Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a committee…for overall co-ordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory of J&K," the order issued by Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said.

The members of the committee include Commissioner Secretary (Transport), Administrative Secretary (Tourism), Administrative Secretary (Hospitality and Protocol) and Administrative Secretary (Culture).

The Group of G20 (G20) comprises 19 countries along with the European Union. Its members account for more than 80 percent of the world's GDP, 75 percent of its commerce, and 60 percent of its population. India has been a member of the group since its inception in 1999. The G20 member nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to the MEA, India will hold the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, culminating with the Summit in India in 2023.

Image source: AP