In the light of the upcoming meeting of the 2030 G20 Summit under India’s Presidency, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow hosted the G20 University Connect Session on 10th August 2023 in collaboration with Research and Innovation System (RIS) for Developing Countries and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Govt. of India.
This session was preceded by some college events in the form of G20 Quiz, Article Writing Competition, Model G20 Summit, and Pottery Making Competition, all of which aimed at engaging the youth in activities surrounding the upcoming summit.
The University Connect Session began with the premier of the official G20 video announcing the Indian Presidency which talked about the honour and privilege that this opportunity has been for our nation and brought light to this year’s theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (One Earth, One Family, One Future).
The purpose of the University connect was to foster insightful discussions on global economic challenges and opportunities while facilitating a fruitful exchange of knowledge to guide the national youth. The event was graced with the presence of some esteemed speakers, who enlightened the students with their views on the Indian presidency of the 18th meeting of the G20 nations.
Prof. Archana Shukla, Director, IIM Lucknow, emphasized on the importance of collective efforts amongst all member nations in solving the problems of sustainability, energy, climate, security, and peace. She also expressed her pride over the resonance of the IIML motto with our national ideology of producing socially responsible leaders and motivated the students to follow the path of developing a global mindset.
The lecture series began with an address by Mr. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary, MEA, Govt. of India, and former ambassador to Switzerland, Turkey, and Egypt, who shared insights on the formation of the G20, India’s priorities under its Presidency, and the role of youth in this global dialogue. Mr. Bhattacharyya acknowledged the current age of transformation and the era of disruptive change in the world and asserted that our actions today will decide the shape of our future. He laid down the seven priorities of the nation for the 2030 agenda setting, including climate financing, food security, and accelerating the pace of fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among others.
The next valuable address to the audience was by Dr. Anand Maheshwari, Former IPS Office 1984 and Director General Central Reserved Police Force, who shared his interpretation of the meaning of management as the art of managing “men” and “technology” and the importance of learning to live in today’s world of blended existence between online and offline sources of information. While guiding the youth as to how to leverage the G20 discussions to their benefit, he urged them to constantly learn about the new vectors of success from the SWOT analysis of the G20 nations. Along with this, Mr. Maheshwari emphasised on the importance of the principle of neutrality, as is prevalent in the CRPF, and left the audience with two rules of life to ponder upon: (i) The way we nurture nature becomes our culture, and, (ii) Only those who know how to merge will eventually re-emerge.
The final address in the series was by Dr. Balu Kenchappa, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India, Lucknow, who talked about the role of different countries like the US, Japan, China, in the financial development of the world as a whole and how India fits into this game of growth. The institute and its students were honored to have received such valuable learnings from the guests on this special occasion and are privileged to have had the opportunity to partner with G20 University Connect for developing the leaders of tomorrow.
