India’s G20 Secretariat along with the United Nations India Country Office organised a day-long “Model G20 Meeting” at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday, 17th February 2023.

The meeting, the first official Model G20 event was a simulation exercise of a G20 meeting where school students essayed the roles of delegates of G20, Guest countries and international organisations.

The meeting saw participation of a total of 8 schools from Delhi/NCR, viz. British School, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sector 8 R.K Puram, Lycee Francais International de Delhi, Modern School Barakhamba Road, Pathways World School Gurugram, Russian Embassy School, Ryan International School Vasant Kunj and Springdales School Dhaula Kuan.

In total, over 60 high school students, representing 12 nationalities including 10 G20 countries participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, the students deliberated on the theme “Youth for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)”. They discussed and exchanged views on the role of global youth in making LiFE initiative a mass movement for Climate Action.

The idea of LiFE was introduced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.

The LiFE Movement aims to utilise the power of collective action and nudge individuals across the world to undertake simple climate-friendly actions in their daily lives. The LiFE movement, additionally, also seeks to leverage the strength of Youth and social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate. LiFE plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3), who will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles. Through the P3 community, LiFE seeks to create an ecosystem that will reinforce and enable environmentally friendly behaviours to be self-sustainable.

The theme for the Model G20 event - “Youth for LiFE” was identified keeping in mind the critical role which the global youth, being the agents of change, could play in Climate Action through the LiFE initiative.

The meeting was jointly inaugurated by India’s G20 Sherpa Shri Amitabh Kant and United Nations India Resident Coordinator Mr. Shombi Sharp. Addressing the students, Shri Kant stressed on the leading role that the youth could play in Climate Action through Mission LiFE. He welcomed the initiative of international students coming together for a “Model G20 Meeting” and deliberating on critical issues such as combating climate change and the role of youth therein. Reflecting on the importance of multilateralism, Mr. Sharp said that the only way to solve common problems is through common solutions – overcoming differences and coming together. He added that India was uniquely positioned to bring other countries across divides together during its G20 Presidency.

The participating students, following intense rounds of negotiations throughout the day, concluded the meeting by adopting an outcome document titled, “Guiding Principles for Youth-led Mission LiFE”. The outcome document was handed over to the Chair of the G20’s Youth Engagement Group (Youth 20 or Y20) for consideration at their official Y20 meeting.

The “Model G20 Meeting” introduced the school students to the process of negotiations in a typical G20 meeting process. Certificates and medals were presented to the Best Speakers, the Best Delegation, and the Best Consensus Builders. The activity was organized by the G20 Secretariat as part of the Secretariat’s Jan Bhagidhari outreach.

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AS

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